The Tangibility of Tactile Art: Interactions between Individuals and Artworks during Visual and Tactile Exploration

Abstract Tactile exploration has been proposed to offer a more intimate and active way of engaging with art than visual exploration alone. This study investigated the added value of touch by comparing aesthetic evaluation, feelings of intimacy, and embodied experience across three conditions: visual-only exploration, guided tactile exploration, and free tactile exploration. Using a between-subjects design, participants interacted with a series of artworks under one of the three conditions. Results showed that tactile exploration did not enhance overall aesthetic experience compared to visual exploration. Prior experience with tactile art and other individual differences had limited effects. Instead, aesthetic evaluations were most strongly predicted by the inherent properties of the artworks themselves, regardless of the mode of exploration. Contrary to expectations, reported intimacy and embodied engagement did not significantly differ across conditions, though substantial variability between individuals was observed. Interestingly, connectedness was found to influence aesthetic evaluations regardless of the exploration condition. Within the free tactile condition, participants who spent more time exploring an artwork rated it as more beautiful, although this effect did not extend to ratings of pleasure or interest. Additionally, no consistent relationships were found between specific tactile features and aesthetic responses. These findings suggest that the value of multisensory art experiences lies less in the sensory modality of engagement and more in individual subjective differences and the tactile properties of the artwork.