This month marks a
year since the coronavirus pandemic initiated a series of global shutdowns across art organisations. The immediate effect of the pandemic was a swift shift to digital programming: exhibitions became walk-throughs; fair booths became
virtual viewing rooms; and Q&As became video chats. The amount of material made available online, as well as its uptake among the public, was overwhelming, fuelled perhaps by adrenalin and sublimated panic.
“The digital sphere has always had this sort of secondary position, and people didn’t take it as seriously as they should
- Krist Gruijthuijsen
That flurry of initial activity has subsided, but the “new normal” is still emerging. What have been the effects of a year’s worth of online programming on art organisations, artists and audiences – and specifically for the Arab world?
Why Middle Eastern modern art was set to take centre stage at the British Museum
Important works from North Africa and the Middle East were scheduled to go on display to showcase the full range of the region s talent
The Accident. Ink on paper, 2013. Funded by Maryam and Edward Eisler
Credit: Nicky Nodjoumi
The British Museum was due to open an exhibition next week celebrating its collection of modern and contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa: some 700 examples by more than 300 artists, nearly all acquired in the last 10 years. Considering there has been no budget for acquisitions from the museum s central funds, this is a remarkable feat.