Art Experiences In Isolation(1)

By Caitlin Dawkes

Artist Unknown, Bear on a Suitcase, ca. ????, Resin, 6.5 x 10 x 5 cm

Transported from her lifelong home of the rickety old bookcase, the little bear finds herself in a white cube of nothingness, watching the f r a g m e n t e d pixels flicker around her. The little bear’s chipped ear absorbs a moment of time that only she remembers. Idly watching from her home aloft, each passing moment seeping into her material surface whilst she sits in a frozen state. With no trace of her origins, the little bear maker remains a mystery, keeping all of her secrets at the bottom of the jug, filled with solid liquid.

Think about the last time you saw an art object “in the flesh” (that wasn’t your own). Was it 6 months ago? A year ago? Maybe it was yesterday? Or this morning when you viewed your mug in a different light? Or maybe you’re very much in contact with the art scene? Maybe it’s just me that’s become isolated from the art experience. So in order to feel connected to art objects once more, I have resorted to pretending that a mass produced bear ornament is the latest example of contemporary art by sticking it in a virtual white cube gallery, tricking the audience into believing this too. 

In this series, I will explore mundane art objects and mundane art experiences. How the pandemic has changed the experience of art. How the narratives behind everyday objects often go overlooked. Why is it that art objects can have more artistic value than the mundane, everyday object? Why is it that when we frame a mundane object in an “art setting”, it changes our perception of the object? 

For many of us, the pandemic has changed the way we view and interact with everyday objects and surfaces. The dormancy of public art spaces over the past year has me longing for physical art experiences. I miss seeing giant sculptures that tower over me, films projected onto giant walls, tiny figures that demand my undying attention to observe the glory of its finer details. I miss interacting with sculpture, going through it, around it, and right up close to it. I miss being in the same room as art. But for now, I guess I’ll settle with pretending that the everyday mundane objects surrounding me are the next biggest thing in contemporary art culture.