Between making sense of the imposed period of seclusion by finding creative ways to express themselves and strengthening their online presence, artists are doing their utmost to stay relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this is, to a certain extent, a defining era, in the sense that it is unprecedented, it is inevitable that each historical trauma or crisis redirects arts towards new paths, Prof. Raphael Vella, Head of the Department of Arts, Open Communities & Education, told Newspoint.
Q. You’ve spoken of the belief that a situation such as the present one could change people’s attitude towards the arts in general. Is boredom at home the only reason people are resorting to making creative art or appreciating it more?
A. I’m not quite sure that people are making more art during the current situation or even that society in general is changing its attitude towards the arts. True, many people are resorting to more creative ways of killing the amount of time they spend in the kitchen, struggling with recipes and ideas they would not normally be bothered to engage in. However, trying to predict any long-term creative benefits is probably speculative at best. Time is ultimately a relative phenomenon, and boredom, as an experience of time, also depends on relative factors like personal ambitions, cultural expectations and pressures, the company we spend our time with, children and others we might need to keep entertained, and so on.
Persons whose livelihood revolves around creative work like theatre practitioners and visual artists feel similar pressures to many other people: the challenge of working from home and simultaneously home-schooling their kids, for example. Right now, however, the main challenge for many artists is not related to artistic production per sè but to the difficulty of connecting with others and presenting their ideas to a public. Many are also reacting positively to this situation by sharing their work on social media, through live-streams and so on. In a sense, this autonomous gesture liberates them from institutional structures that often bridge the gap between artists and audiences – concert halls, galleries, and so on. Museums and other institutions are also boosting their online presence but we have seen some major museums laying off their education staff in an effort to cope with the financial crisis. This is a worrying trend, because educators generally have the kind of training and experiences that enable museums to connect with those communities that are traditionally disconnected from ‘high’ culture.
Q. Why are memes a weapon of choice when it comes to expressing the joys and stresses of COVID-19? Aren’t they allowing social interaction when this is not possible through other art forms?
A. Some ways of making art, such as socially engaged art and other participatory forms of art, are certainly facing unprecedented challenges. I think various art forms are still possible in the current scenario, but artists will need to redefine modes of display and engagement. Memes are one way of channelling the frustrations, anger and fears of people during lockdown towards comic relief. The recent memes on President Trump’s statement about disinfectant cures for COVID-19 are a case in point.
Q. You could say memes are a less elitist art form. Can they leave as deep as impact as more traditional creative forms would leave on the audience?
A. The idea of combining words and images is hardly a new one. It’s not an invention of the social media era. Political cartoonists have been at it for a long time. Creative individuals who are associated with the ‘serious’ art world showed the way ages ago. Much earlier, inscriptions in Chinese painting and other Asian traditions accompanied and extended moods evoked by landscape. Almost a hundred years ago, the Belgian painter René Magritte produced one of the most emblematic images of modern art: The Treachery of Images, or ‘This is not a Pipe’, as it is better-known. It’s a rather simple picture with a hand-painted sentence that contradicts the single image it presents. Magritte’s philosophical reflection in paint not only led to more philosophical reflections (Michel Foucault’s famous essay, for example) but to many contemporary spin-offs and memes.
Q. Do you think artists are being as productive, more than or less than usual? With this being a defining era, it’s harder to find that creative force, isn't it?
A. Many creative artists are familiar with isolation. Artistic production, especially the visual arts, often requires extended periods of being alone. To some, this might seem like a sign of loneliness or even genius but this ‘seclusion’ should not necessarily be interpreted as a reflection of the Romantic introspective hero. It is simply an integral feature of much artistic work, which requires a deep absorption in the activity one is engaged in. Artists still seek peace and weeks or months of concentration in arts residencies around the world in what is ultimately a form of self-imposed isolation. For some of those who have been directly affected by this crisis, though, concentration is precisely the kind of luxury they cannot afford right now. But many others will recreate what’s going on around them in the novels they write, the films they produce, and so on. It’s inevitable that each historical trauma or crisis redirects art towards new paths.
