The fact that a pandemic is sweeping the world surely isn’t reason enough not to enjoy some culture. At least that’s what the Tel Aviv Museum of Art seems to think.
Since visitors are prohibited from going inside, the museum brought some of its artwork outside, to be enjoyed from homes and balconies across the city.
Its corona-time project is called “Through a Balcony” and includes screenings of video art in the evenings for the benefit of residents.
Featuring Israeli artists, the works deal with topics such as the establishment of mechanisms and their disruption, the examination of the position of the human body in relation to the political and the personal, and the use of agreed-upon signs in culture.
“The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has been operating for almost 90 years as the leading cultural institution of the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo. As a cornerstone of cultural and artistic activity and discourse, the museum sees itself as committed to the local community at present more than ever,” says Tania Coen-Uzzielli, the museum’s director.
“During this extended period of remoteness, seclusion and alienation, the museum serves as an anchor and a place for reconnection, discovery, continuity and belonging. The consumption of digital information by all of us at this time and the increased use of screens cannot replace the actual experience of art,” she adds. “We see great importance in getting out into the physical space, through outdoor art screening, and in interacting proactively with the local artist community.”
As well as the outdoor screenings, the museum is inviting the public to take virtual tours of its exhibits and enjoy audio guides to select works from the comfort of their own homes.
Children, meanwhile, can learn how to create Van Gogh or Monet-style paintings, or listen to age-appropriate audio guides to some of the museum’s most famous pieces.
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