Art or ad?

For a while I've been seeing ads on billboards and bus shelters that have started me thinking, and not about bicycles, my girlfriend or chemistry. I know, it's strange but it happens from time to time. See what I have been seeing are ads for an art exhibit called "Red Bull: Art of the Can". Oh, the annoying music will go away as soon as you move away from the home screen.

It's rather interesting when you think of it. The exhibit is a combination of a touring show and local competitions to produce works that will be exhibited. So from an artistic perspective, it's really a neat idea, with a travelling theme that can be coloured with a local flair. But is it really art? I mean I have probably seem more ads for this exhibit than I have for any other art exhibit in the past ten years. And I understand the concept of commissioning art, but to limit it to the type of can to only being Red Bull makes it feel a lot more like an ad to me.

Of course ads have always required the use of artistic creativity to attract attention. But is this going too far, trying to conceal ads as art. Or is this the future of art, where commercial ventures are the rare source of funding to promote the fine arts and allow for artistic creativity to flourish?

I don't know the answers to this; I'm just a scientist (he he). But I'm kind of curious if anyone who reads this has any thoughts on this crossover between artistry and advertising.