“Your grandparents were called to war. You’re being called to sit on your couch. You can do this.”
Tussen Kunst, Dutch art curator extraordinaire and self-admitted bored dude, came up with a nifty idea to while away the time during ongoing the coronavirus lockdown — an idea Los Angeles’ Getty Museum and others enthusiastically embraced.
Or about as enthusiastically as social distancing will allow, that is, in these unsettled, and unsettling times.
The Getty Museum, while not the first to pick up on the idea, helped it grow in popularity by posing a creative challenge to their followers.
We challenge you to recreate a work of art with objects (and people) in your home, the museum posted on its Instagram page.
1. Choose your favourite artwork.
2. Fine three things lying around your house.
3. Recreate the artwork, using those items.
For his part, Kunst added a fourth request — share at @tussenkunstenquarantaine, aka “Tussen Kunst in quarantine,” in case the direct translation eluded you.
Naturally, the idea has gone, erm, viral. And not just in North America. A wildly popular Facebook group in Russia has people recreating famous paintings as well, while in isolation. The coronavirus quarantine, far from putting a damper on creativity, has instead done the exact opposite: The creativity, the artistic talent — and yes, the humour too — has been dazzling to see.
The influence of Covid-19, aka SARS-CoV-2, has weighed heavily on some would-be artists, with toilet paper and facial masks playing a prominent role in some recreated artworks. Isolation art challenges are now a thing, judging from a surprisingly long — and growing — list of quarantine art clubs who use hashtags like #DrawFromADistance and #QuarantineArtClub. (The hashtags are so others can join in.)
There’s the Emily Balsley Illustration Studio’s @emilybluestar Instagram page, as well as @wonderfall (Portland, Oregon illustrator Sarah Beth Morgan); @carsonellis (“Drawing and drawing and drawing”); @thejealouscurator, (#30dayartquarantine by Danielle Krysa, a 30-day art challenge “brought to you by the coronavirus”); and Mo Willems’ “Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems,” who describes himself playfully as the Kennedy Center Education’s “Artist-in-Residence at Home.” Always think of your audience, Willems counsels, never think for your audience.
Tell the Russians!
If nothing else, this goes to show that even during a pandemic, in the age of social media one is never truly alone.
@TussenKunstEnQuarantaine/Instagram
@TussenKunstEnQuarantaine/Instagram
@TussenKunstEnQuarantaine/Instagram