EXHIBITIONS

GAIA Museum opens its doors to the annual exhibition of artworks created by the artists from GAIA Academy, which, under the title “Reunion,” takes a closer look at the social role of art during a time marked by disruption, lockdowns, and distance. The exhibition consists of both collective and individual artworks created before, during, and after the coronavirus pandemic caused society to shut down.

To create art in a time of lockdowns

Under normal circumstances the days at GAIA Academy are filled to the brim with life, learning, and community spirit, when the artists try their hands at a wide range of techniques, materials, and forms of expression. But 2020 has been unlike any other year: when the coronavirus pandemic hit, and GAIA had to shut down for a while, the artists were forced to work from home. At the Academy, making art is largely a social process where people learn and create collectively, but at home, the artists suddenly had to get used to making art within a completely different framework.

The colorful kingfisher

During the shutdown, the artists worked separately from a shared theme of the colorful kingfisher bird, which resulted in numerous expressive artworks, each in their own unique style, which testify to the creative breadth and diversity among the artists at the Academy. After the reopening and subsequent reunion, these artworks became the underlying basis of a large, collaborative collagraphy project, which is displayed in the exhibition. In addition to this grand project, the exhibition includes selected artworks from this year’s production, which put together elucidate the different ways in which art can help foster a greater sense of community.