E-ART FOR EVERYONE

As galleries and museums temporarily shut their doors due to the lockdown, focus shifts to online to keep art enthusiasts engaged

As the world grapples with the coronavirus crisis, art institutions in the city have begun to explore the digital space. Apart from displaying their exhibitions online, they are also conducting interactive sessions to keep people engaged. “We have recently revived our YouTube channel, to encourage our audience to consume more art and radiate positivity amidst these trying times,” says Sanjana Shah, creative director, Tao Art Gallery. The channel includes virtual walk-throughs, discussions by artists and Instagram TV (IGTV) videos scrolling through 20 years of archives. It will also display their current anniversary exhibition — A Tapestry of Time, whose theme is nostalgia.

Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, too, lets viewers scroll through the museum virtually, with its Google Arts and Culture feature. Honorary director, Tasneem Mehta, says, “We have also taken our ongoing exhibition by Nalini Malani — The Witness, online. Apart from a recent virtual walkthrough, it is also saved in the story highlights on Instagram.” As trivia, polls keep viewers busy on the platform, they will also have access to two multi-artist exhibitions hosted in the museum in 2018 and 2019.

Another, Piramal Museum of Art joins the bandwagon to step up their online activity during the lockdown. “We are creating awareness through engaging activities leveraging our collections on @piramalmuseum — our social media handles, but also have a brief snapshot of past exhibitions on our website,” says director, Ashvin E Rajagopalan. The current exhibitions on the website are Raja Ravi Varma’s Pages of a Mind: Expressions and Life, and Mutable: Ceramics and Clay Art in India since 1947.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya made art lovers solve an online jigsaw puzzle — Pestonji Bomanji’s Feeding the Parrot. Conducting a live origami class and a Q&A with curators, and lectures on various subjects are currently keeping their viewers busy beside virtual walkthroughs of the museum, making art easily accessible during such times.

Solve the four anagrams and move one letter to each square to form four ordinary words Now arrange the letters marked with an asterisk (*) to form the answer to the riddle or to fill in the missing words as indicated. Pearl Steven - quitter a me called He smoking. stopped had I him tell to dad my phoned I ANSWER: quiche squirt, tepid, Diner, SOLUTION: SCRAMBLE