Feature

Stuck in self-isolation? Banish boredom with these art-related goodies to indulge in from home

17 Mar 2020

by Sandy Di Yu

Nothing beats the immediacy of seeing art in person, curated with care to convey an experience within a shared space. We at ArtRabbit will always favour real-life experiences, but as we collectively practice social distancing in an effort to quell the spread of COVID-19, we looked for some boredom-banishing alternatives to attending art exhibitions and events IRL.

Walter Benjamin might’ve had his share of complaints about the loss of aura in artworks reproduced on a screen, but he didn’t have our viruses to deal with nor our resources to use (reproductions have gotten crazy-good in recent years, after all.) While museums and galleries across the world are temporarily closed to protect society’s most vulnerable, the rest of the art-hungry world can attend virtual art tours, learn from free online courses and explore museum archives offered by various international institutions. What will you learn during quarantine? Read on to experience some of the best art you can lap up in the throes of self-isolation, and get a healthy dose of culture without ever leaving your bedroom.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Yves Tanguy, The Satin Tuning Fork, Oil on canvas, 39 x 32 in. (99.1 x 81.3 cm), 1940, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, © 2020 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Yves Tanguy, The Satin Tuning Fork, Oil on canvas, 39 x 32 in. (99.1 x 81.3 cm), 1940, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, © 2020 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

The 2020 Met Gala may be cancelled, but it still offers a wide variety of resources to keep fans entertained and educated. Though less celebrity gossip and flashy gala outfits are to be had, you can keep up with the museum’s ever-evolving collection with their extensive MetCollects platform, or take a walk through art history with the Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, with essays and artworks galore. And if you have restless kids to look after, MetKids is a wholesome and educational alternative to cartoon reruns.

Boca Raton Museum of Art

Edward Jean Steichen, In Exaltation of Flowers, 1910-1913, Tempera and gold leaf on canvas. Collection of Art Bridges.

Edward Jean Steichen, In Exaltation of Flowers, 1910-1913, Tempera and gold leaf on canvas. Collection of Art Bridges.

This museum in Boca Raton, Florida will be offering a series of free online programmes called Keep Kids Smart with ART. Their initiative as led by museum staff aims to continue art education in the young so that even with schools cancelled, children of all ages (and in fact anyone) can keep their minds and creativity active.

Museum of Modern Art

Edward Ruscha. OOF. 1962 (reworked 1963). Oil on canvas, 71 1/2 × 67" (181.5 × 170.2 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. © 2020 Edward Ruscha

Edward Ruscha. OOF. 1962 (reworked 1963). Oil on canvas, 71 1/2 × 67" (181.5 × 170.2 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. © 2020 Edward Ruscha

MoMA may be one of the most prolific museums in the world, but did you know that it’s also a multi-national media conglomerate? Okay, fine, that may be a bit of a stretch, but the organisation does offer lots of media that can be consumed from the comfort of your home, no matter where you are. That includes its online magazine, podcast, and YouTube channel filled with everything to do with art. MoMA also offers courses via Coursera, the perfect way to get all those burning art questions answered without needing to attend classes in person.

Serpentine Galleries

Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Catharsis, 2019-2020, Supported by CONNECT, BTS, Outdoor installation at the Serpentine Galleries, Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning

Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Catharsis, 2019-2020, Supported by CONNECT, BTS, Outdoor installation at the Serpentine Galleries, Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning

Always a champion of digital and new media art, Serpentine Galleries has long served as digital space and platform for web art. Currently on show is Catharsis by Jakob Kudsk Steensen with sound by Matt McCorkle, a serenely beautiful reimagined scenery of an old-growth forest, as well as I Magma by Jenna Sutela, a commission that explores the possibility of a new collective consciousness derived of lava which is in part available to be experienced via its app.

Pace Gallery

James Turrell, Whitehall, Medium Diamond Glass, 2019, L.E.D. light, etched glass and shallow space, 54

James Turrell, Whitehall, Medium Diamond Glass, 2019, L.E.D. light, etched glass and shallow space, 54" × 54" (137.2 cm × 137.2 cm) Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes

Pace has galleries in 6 cities worldwide, but that’s not enough for this commercial gallery. In addition to physical locations, Pace offers viewing rooms filled with big contemporary art names so that you can experience art whilst doing your due diligence of not leaving the house. On show currently includes James Turrell, Julian Schnabel, Arlene Shechet and more.

ME Collectors Room

Wunderkammer Olbricht, Installationsansicht, 2012 © me Collectors Room Berlin, Photo Daisy Loewl

Wunderkammer Olbricht, Installationsansicht, 2012 © me Collectors Room Berlin, Photo Daisy Loewl

This decade-old Berlin institution offers virtual tours of its current exhibition Moving Energies as well as a video tour of its permanent collection Wunderkammer Olbricht, a fun dive into the art of the recent centuries.

Art Basel

Philppe Parreno, My Room is Another Fishbowl, 2016. Courtesy Pilar Corrias, London.

Philppe Parreno, My Room is Another Fishbowl, 2016. Courtesy Pilar Corrias, London.

This art fair will be introducing viewing rooms from March 20-25. Even if you’re not looking to spend your life’s savings on some art this week, you can sit back and view what’s available and daydream about owning are from galleries around the world thanks to this new platform.

Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art

Alexis Hunter, The Model’s Revenge I, 1974. Courtesy Alexis Hunter Estate.

Alexis Hunter, The Model’s Revenge I, 1974. Courtesy Alexis Hunter Estate.

Although having been open for less than two years, the Goldsmiths CCA in London has a well-documented list of events that took place at their location, many of which include recordings you can listen to from anywhere. Attend artist talks with Tony Cokes and Kodwo Eshun, panel discussions about Second Wave Feminism and conceptual photographer Alexis Hunter, or relive a reading by author Olivia Sudjic.

Red Lines

Veda Aggarwal at home with Evan Roth’s Red Lines in Calcutta, India. Photograph: Jhinku Banerjee.

Veda Aggarwal at home with Evan Roth’s Red Lines in Calcutta, India. Photograph: Jhinku Banerjee.

An almost-prophetic work by artist Evan Roth, with the support of Artangel, Red Lines is an artwork that is to be set up anywhere with an internet connection. An artwork that’s literally made for you to set up at home, it depicts landscapes where the cables that form intercontinental connections of the internet emerges from the sea. All you need is a mobile phone, tablet or computer and an internet connection, and you’ll be activating this work right in your own home, turning your space into a contemporary art gallery.

ArtRabbit

And of course, as a platform that dwells largely online, we have lots to offer you in this stressful time as well. Check out our Freshers' Guide for inspiration on what to watch, read, listen to and consume, get advice on getting ahead in your art career and more. You'll also want to spend some of your free time to apply to some artist opportunities. We provide an editorial list of the best ones we come across, and we update it frequently, so be sure to check back often. And if you're aching to see some art, head to our Pinterest boards to indulge in an archive of colourful and uncanny artworks that'll spark your creativity, or try our Instagram or YouTube channel where you'll be able to join us for video tours of art exhibitions from around the world.

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Sandy Di Yu is a London based writer, art theorist and artist. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or visit her website.

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