Possibilities of virtual space
A handful of Malaysian art galleries are slowing bridging the digital divide and keeping visitors interested with curated online content.
THIS month marks a year since the movement control order was enforced in Malaysia. Due to the MCO, art galleries here have spent most of the past year closed to the public. Reopenings were short-lived, as galleries had to shut again weeks later when Covid-19 cases surged.
Many have turned to offering virtual tours of their exhibitions and spaces to reach out to the public.
Several galleries here have risen to this challenge in this period, albeit with vastly different interpretations of what a virtual tour is, or should be, and despite the misgivings – from the public and peers – that an online exhibition will not match a physical art show.
If we could discard the mindset that a virtual exhibition is a substitute for “the real thing”, and instead create an experience based on the potential and capabilities of the virtual space, it would certainly be a step in the right direction to encourage a robust and engaging virtual exhibition landscape.
Where do we start?
Roopesh Sitharan, an independent art curator who worked on the Object Matters project at A.P. Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, says that a clear distinction must be first made in terms of understanding what is a virtual exhibition.
“Converting, or replicating a physical (white cube) exhibition into a walkthrough 3D model using GUI (graphical user interface) is not a virtual exhibition but merely an effigy of a physical space in an online platform,” says Roopesh.
“Both of these spaces demand a totally different understanding of space, and I would even argue this is an important distinction in experiencing art. A virtual exhibition must inherently be an exposition that critically engages the characteristics of the online, digital network in the production, consumption and distribution of the content it carries. Simply put, we need to rethink what exhibition means in a virtual space to evaluate what it offers fairly,” he adds.
When this isn’t part of the equation, it is hardly surprising that a virtual exhibition ends up being a “poor substitute” for the physical exhibition because the galleries engage the medium without understanding the characteristics of a virtual and online space.
Roopesh adds that putting up an effective and impactful virtual exhibition entails grasping the way in which the public experience virtuality in their everyday life including social media, online banking, instant messaging, location finding and Zoom meetings.
But he notes that much of what he has seen over the past year is merely a transfer of physical exhibition to an online platform without really understanding what the medium is.
“I suspect this is driven by the usual need of commerce to sell art objects such as paintings. So a virtual exhibition is merely an online shopping website that displays products to purchase. Thus the biggest hurdle I perceive is the lack of understanding and imagination by people putting up shows to embrace different practices of art and exhibition making, especially new media art that would offer the appropriate experience of virtual exhibition and curation,” says Roopesh.
Building a new experience
Over at Ilham Gallery in KL, its 360 VR exhibition tours covers two shows at the moment: Bayangnya Itu Timbul Tenggelam – Photographic Cultures In Malaysia and The Body Politic And The Body.
“It is important to think about how going digital can enhance the audience experience. What can we give the viewer that he or she wouldn’t get in the physical experience? It should not be seen as a poor substitute for visiting a gallery as going digital can give us a lot of advantages in terms of reaching out to audiences beyond traditional structures,” says Ilham Gallery director Rahel Joseph.
A visitor to the virtual tour of Bayangnya Itu Timbul Tenggelam will be able to not only examine the photographs on display in detail – with accompanying wall texts and videos – but access curatorial discussions and tours on Youtube for insights into the photographs too, as well as the development of photographic studios and the photographic practice in Malaysia.
“There are opportunities to create thought-provoking alternatives to in-person viewing and I am excited about the possibilities as we are able to connect with a larger, more diverse audience and to make art more accessible beyond the bricks and mortar gallery space,” says Rahel.
Besides art exhibitions, Ilham Gallery has rolled out an enviable amount of digital content in recent months. There is the Ilham@home initiative, an online public and education programme, with artist interviews and Instagram “take overs”, where artists introduce their work and practice.
Ilham Cribs, a “paid artist studio visit” digital programme that features emerging artists and their studios, was launched in November.
During the MCO, over 50 programmes were run under the Ilham@home initiative.
“When the first MCO happened, my team and I had to immediately think of strategies to connect with our Ilham community at a time when our physical gallery was closed. As a public gallery, it is hugely important that we engage with the public and how do we do this if our gallery is closed?
“At a time when everyone was physically isolated, digital media gave us a bridge, a platform to create an exciting range of experiences that we could use to connect with the larger community,” says Rahel.
In the past, all the gallery’s programming was designed for an in-person audience or on-site experience, but now they programme for a digital audience. Their social media platform is used as an educational tool – think curatorial tours, artist interviews and a weekly series that explores a particular painting or photograph in the exhibition.
This year, they are working on a digital project which will give the public more access to the Ilham collection. This project will also be a platform for art history, research and other educational programmes.
“At the end of the day, we can make the online space meaningful if we are thoughtful in the ways we approach it,” says Rahel.
Playing catch up
Balai Seni Maybank might be relatively new to the game, having only launched its first virtual exhibition last October, but it already has four shows available for viewing with plans to roll out more this year.
“When the pandemic started, our Balai Seni Art Series had to be reinvented in order to adapt to the new normal. We realised that with virtual exhibitions, the experience is different compared to a physical one. But it has opened up opportunities for us to reach a wider audience, including new and young art lovers who may have been hesitant or unable to visit a traditional art gallery,”
Going virtual has also allowed us to explore new ways and methods of showcasing a variety of art forms that we couldn’t do in our physical exhibitions, like showcasing paintings and installations in the same show,” says Shahril Azuar Jimin, chief executive officer of Maybank Foundation.
No matter what the medium, Shahril emphasises that it is important to them that Balai Seni Maybank upholds its intentions of serving as a platform for emerging and underprivileged artists.
“It is crucial for virtual art galleries to consistently engage with the public and artists, providing them with an avenue to showcase their work and at the same time continue the efforts in keeping the art scene alive,” he says.
Plans are underway to “regionalise” the Virtual Gallery, so we just might see exhibitions here with artists from Indonesia or the Philippines in the near future.
Meeting the challenges
When all has been said and done, what are some challenges faced in designing and creating virtual exhibitions and experiences?
Rahel notes that it can be expensive and time-consuming, an investment that not everyone can afford.
“The fact remains that going digital means an additional expense and this is challenging, especially for smaller galleries and arts organisations, at a time where everyone’s budgets have been impacted as a result of the pandemic,” she says.
According to Zanita Anuar, director at the department of collection, conservation and exhibition at the National Art Gallery, there are many factors that make this endeavour a challenging one for the art industry.
“After one has overcome the fear of the ‘new’ platform and technology, one has to then be clear on the goal of going virtual and to translate the experience desired in a digital way. Most art exhibitions basically mimic physical visit as you follow arrows and enter rooms where artworks are hung on walls. Very few actually have a curatorial story written in, which would make it more engaging,” says Zanita.
She adds that designing an online art exhibition is a rewarding but difficult task, especially for a gallery curator more accustomed to on-site presentations, as mastery of a “new language of art communication” via digital displays is required.
You can argue that art is best appreciated in person, but a point to ponder: “Virtual appreciation in this pandemic era is better than the absence of appreciation,” she states.
The National Art Gallery has plans to make most of its art exhibitions accessible online, as it has recently done with the Minta Perhatian Media Baharu: Penggunaan Objek Dan Ruang Sebagai Penyataan (Attention Please: The Use Of Objects And Spaces As Statements) and PACA: Pameran Cat Air Asia Tenggara (South-east Asia Watercolour Exhibition). This would include the upcoming Permanent Collection show and Archiving Ibrahim Hussein exhibition.
Plans are in the works for a digital element to be incorporated in the Malaysia Art Ecosystem Festival, which was originally scheduled for June this year.