ALT: Web as a Café is part of Alteration, a mutual initiative of the EU Delegation to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute, supported via the EU-funded Cultural Relations Platform.
Iryna Vorona, author and curator of the international art project “#365daysafter”
The creative industry has been hit hardest by the pandemic and artists have been the least protected from the 2020-2021 crisis. However, the lack of data is still an obstacle to the formation of a complete model, despite numerous studies. Professor of the University of Siena, Pierangelo Isernia, in his report on the impact of COVID-19 on cultural sphere, at the international online conference “The new normal of cultural relations”, announced that the global picture is not complete and there are gaps in available data from surveys and impact reports ”(Pierangelo Isernia, 2021).
Therefore, there was a need to create a database of information material, the source of which was the international experience of direct participants in the cultural sphere. As a result, Art research platform MOKONSHU initiated the creation of a Library of stories and voices of artists from different countries and local contexts. The research is part of the international art project # 365daysafter [1], which brings together Ukraine, Croatia, Portugal and China in a joint study of the art during the 2020-2021 pandemic, which has already involved more than 200 artists born and / or living in one of these countries. An important part of the art project are stories of creative experience of the pandemic period from each participant, describing, characterizing and documenting the last year, through which we can remove the walls of social isolation built by the pandemic.
The Library of Artist’s Stories is not only a virtual location with valuable information for professional and creative development, but also a platform for like-minded people, a place where everyone can be a part of important changes in society (mokonshu.art).
As the scientist Aleksandra Janus points out, speaking of a new reality for cultural institutions in a post-pandemic world – “you need to go where your audience is already” (Aleksandra Janus, 2021). However, the next and perhaps most important step will be to create such places that will serve to strengthen the immunity of the creative industry and primarily strengthen the ability of artists themselves, as a basic unit of the creative sphere, to counteract the negative effects of the pandemic. Being open, the virtual library contains stories of the experience of artists from Europe to Asia with a set of effective tools on how to overcome fear and uncertainty in the new post-pandemic world and continue to create (“Artist’s Stories” – mokonshu.art).
[1] #365daysafter consists of two parts: life during the COVID-19 pandemic and a look into the future. Through this project we seek to explore the local context of the four countries, combine experiences and create a base of information material that will serve as motivation and guidance for young artists on how to overcome the crisis caused by the pandemic and deal with the consequences.
Art project #365daysafter was created by the art research platform “MOKONSHU” together with partners: creative agency “KAMSOMOL”, gallery “Garaža KAMBA” (Zagreb, Croatia), international artists residency “DE LICEIRAS 18” (Porto, Portugal) and Independent Institute of Contemporary Arts “Snarte Space” (Nanchang, China).
References:
Culture & COVID-19: Impact and Response Tracker. Issue 1. 2020. UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/issue_1_en_culture_covid-19_tracker.pdf
Pierangelo Isernia “Impact of COVID-19 on the CCI and international cultural relations”. Alteration: The New Normal of Cultural Relations. Online conference, April 29, 2021.
Aleksandra Janus. Towards a post-pandemic future. Imagining new realities of cultural institutions. ALT: Web as a Café. Online networking event for visual art professionals. June 17-18, 2021.