Art in the time of coronavirus 
In times of crisis, artists may feel the pulse of the moment more than others — and the artistic works produced during extraordinary times can often be extraordinary.
“How Can We Think of Art at a Time Like This” is the title of an online exhibition co-curated by Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen. It serves as a platform for the exchange of ideas during this era of deep uncertainty.
Historical events such as the two world wars and 1970s civil rights movements witnessed a peak in solidarity and collaboration between artists and intellectuals, who took inspiration from these events and created some of our most distinguished works.
Some of the ideas put forward in those works laid the foundation for revolutionizing sociopolitical ideas that continue to inspire forces across the political spectrum. Artists and intellectuals raise their voices to discuss radicalization, climate change, health care and economic disparity through their works.
In 1978, the German artist Joseph Beuys published a public appeal for an alternative political party that later led to the establishment of the Green Party in Germany. He called for an alternative to communism and capitalism.
Today art has been integrated into fields such as science, technology, ecology and health — the World Health Organization has created a special division for it — and it has seeped into every aspect of our lives, most noticeably in the film and music industries.
Despite its popular appeal, works of art are sometimes — though wrongfully — considered as a pleasure reserved for the elite.
Art fairs, auction houses and biennials continue to speak to a financial and intellectual elite, disregarding the larger potential when placed within a more public realm; their future is now in question and tainted by fear, except for the undeterred treasure finders.
As the world was facing lockdowns and curfews due to the coronavirus, last month a spectacular number of archives, shows, books, studio visits, interviews and virtual tours were made available for free to all those with an Internet connection. A few art galleries made sales online, and institutions and individuals organized talks and raised awareness about their programs. The world of art had suddenly switched to the Ethernet.
The trouble with relying so much on digital culture is that interaction has become limited, and immersion into artistic works is greatly reduced because now we are no longer able to use all our senses to feel the greatness of artistic work.
If we are to take into consideration countries where access to the Internet is limited or highly costly, as well as the language barrier, we quickly understand the many obstacles and valid criticism that online platforms face.
Meanwhile, independent producers and creators are increasingly under pressure due to the cutting of public and private funds that they often depend on. There have been small but nevertheless significant gestures such as the Jameel Art Foundation micro grants or Jeddah’s Athr gallery’s Maan initiative, organized with the help of more established artists by setting up grants from sales of limited-edition artworks to provide support to young and more vulnerable artists.
In a bold move, the German government released a €50 billion ($55 billion) fund for freelancers, which includes curators and writers, artists and teachers, with the idea of creating a monthly income for this vulnerable sector of society.
Listening recently to online conversations on the “Challenges Facing Young Artists in the Gulf” organized by the Barjeel Foundation, or “The Arts and Culture Sectors in the Gulf: Reimagining the Future in the Midst of a Pandemic,” and in fact in almost every conversation on art around the globe, the question remains the same: What is its relevance in times of crisis and how can it occupy the social imaginary at the brink of new world order?
Art has always told the story of the present, due to which we as a society are able to realize the present and imagine a future. The creative community needs to act humbly to create a more inclusive ecosystem, taking into consideration its responsibility and exercising compassion towards its environment and humankind.
• Mayssa Fattouh is a Barcelona-based independent writer, curator and cultural practitioner interested in intersections of art and knowledge production. She is the co-founder of the temporary public art platform TandemWorks and a member of the experimental online journal continent.cc.
