The 2000s were characterised by increased globalisation, accelerated by the breakdown of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the rise of the Internet - and with it, faster communications. 

Against this backdrop, artists, began to explore the effects of globalisation and the internet, including its impact on identity and ideas of the self. The art world also saw the launch of London’s Tate Modern and Frieze Art Fair, as well as the abolition of admission fees for publicly-funded UK museums such as the V&A and the National Gallery.