A digital day at the museum: online exhibitions that are resisting a Covid-19 induced museology crisis
LIFE SHINES ON, Yayoi Kusama (2019)
Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts
Ayana Cant platforms galleries that have adapted to lockdown by launching online exhibitions for their visitors.
A century-old aphorism by Blaise Pascal has recently reassumed its relevance in full force: “The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he cannot stay quietly in his room.” At first glance, this may seem like a paradox - what could possibly stunt our spirit more than being confined in our homes? Isn’t our desire to explore only being tortured by governmental orders to ‘stay quietly in our rooms’?
What Pascal actually questions is an engrained - but not entirely truthful - assumption that in order to become creatively inspired and discover new things, we must travel to new places. As society continues to fight the current pandemic, cultural institutions and galleries worldwide have been forced to challenge this penchant for physical outings. In a world where art is being cornered into the digital dimensions of our laptop screens, we should actively support the online exhibitions that strive to connect artists and art-lovers.
Online Viewing Rooms, Art Basel
The ‘Online Viewing Rooms Project’ was launched this March by Art Basel Hong Kong. This large-scale exhibition was unarguably a turning point for the art market, displaying over 2000 pieces of art from over 235 galleries, amounting to a combined value of over US$250 million. Publicly accessible virtual tours were led by the participating galleries and curators, guiding participants from “room to room”. In the virtual realm, where dimensions cease to matter, galleries were able to create unique curatorial concepts and stage unconstrained monumental installations.
My Room Is Another Fishbowl, Philippe Parreno (2016)
Courtesy of Pilar Corrias Gallery
Phillip Parreno’s highly-acclaimed My Room is Another Fishbowl (2016) encourages viewers to contemplate the unfolding of time and speculate about alternate dimensions of being. The delicate, incessant motions of the hypnotically overbearing fish remind us of the natural forces that shape our human experience.
Art Basel’s Online Viewing Rooms also house the psychedelic and cosmic universe of Yayoi Kusama, giving collectors a chance to acquire her enigmatic and iconic pieces. The Japanese sensation is known for her eclectic and immersive ‘Infinity Rooms’ that smear the boundary between reality and fantasy. For the first time, this can be experienced online.
Untitled, Mohamed Hamidi (1965)
Courtesy of Selma Feriani Gallery
In addition to space-defying installations, the online showing rooms allow for the dissolution of international borders. Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern artists are able to showcase their artwork in a bold manner that demands global attention. On display are simplified and lurid forms by Balinese artist Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, the reconceptualization of traditional African symbols by Mohamed Hamidi, as well as the richly-hued indigenous crafts of Malay artist I-Lann Yee.
The second Online Viewing Room by Art Basel will take place from 19th-26th June. Akin to its inaugural showing, the second edition will feature the collections of over 200 galleries. Head over to their website for more information on how to access the show.
David Zwirner’s ‘Lìxià’
David Zwirner recently released its first bilingual online viewing room titled ‘Lìxià’. Denoting the beginning of summer on the East Asian calendar, ‘Lìxià’ boasts the works of 19 gallery artists such as Neo Rauch, Giorgio Morandi, and Mamma Andersson.
Abendmesse, Neo Rauch (2012)
Courtesy of David Zwirner Hong Kong
While most artists work to display their pieces in a three-dimensional setting, the onslaught of coronavirus has accelerated the need for artists to engage with a digital space. A video walkthrough of the exhibition provides not only a summary of the exhibition’s highlights, but also informs us of the historical and contextual background of each piece that often gets ignored in a physical exhibition setting. The added anonymity and privacy of an online viewing room prevents new art buyers from feeling intimidated by the notoriously exclusive art world. In this way, online galleries have adapted to their new virtual habitats by remedying what was previously compromised in traditional exhibitions.
The Bodies 3, Michaël Borremans (2005)
Courtesy of David Zwirner Hong Kong
“My work always tends to capture an intensity; it has a quiet and meditative quality. I feel the roots of such traits are embedded in aspects of many Asian cultures.” - Michaël Borremans
The Lìxià collection reconceptualises the narrative and symbolic perspectives of painting, sculpture, and installation, in turn delineating itself as a union of language, culture, and experience. Although the physical experience of art may never be fully encapsulated by online exhibitions, a different kind of experience emerges; from the comfort of our homes, unrestrained by time constraints, and with an encyclopaedia of rich contextual knowledge at our fingertips, online art exhibitions are forcing us to reconsider just what constitutes art as an ‘experience’.