Even though the enhanced community quarantine has forced us into isolation, there are still ongoing efforts to keep the arts alive. After all, the arts have proven time and time again that it can withstand the test of time — and struggles. Here, we give you ten shots for your quarantine art dose, a back-to-back showcase of both local and international exhibitions, collections, and projects, which you can view straight from your homes, right at your fingertips. Marvel at these works of art for a quick sanity break from your cabin fever and learn to appreciate visual arts even better — all accessible through Google Arts and Culture.
Karapatan: Artists Stand for Human Rights
Yet another socially relevant project, the Center for Art, New Ventures, & Sustainable Development (CANVAS), has launched Looking for Juan Outdoor Banner Project in 2009, a group exhibit which tackles timely social and cultural issues. Karapatan: Artists Stand for Human Rights forms part of its 9th year. For this run, the nonprofit organization emphasizes the question, “What does it mean to be human and Filipino?”
View the online exhibit here
The Filipino Art Project highlights street art as potent tool for communication, empowerment, and encouragement of discourses about ever-present issues and concerns that affect the public, all of us. Being transmedia, the project features various exhibitions and features by many artists and groups including Gerilya, Kolown, Quiccs, Rai Cruz, among others.
View the online exhibit here
University of the Philippines Visayas — Center for West Visayan Studies
UP Visayas Center for West Visayan Studies features 4 online exhibitions about Ilo-Ilo. Two of which are “Revisiting Iloilo’s Urban Morphology” and “IloIlo River Espalanade”. Take a quick tour from your couch around the region including historical sites and some of its famous landmarks including Miag-ao Church, famous for its intricate Baroque designs with Filipino sensibilities, which was built from 1787-1797.
View the online exhibit here
A reminder on some crucial moments in our being Filipino, photos from the 1942 Battle of Bataan are on display on Google Arts and Culture, too. These remind us of the Japanese occupation in the Philippines during the World War II as the Battle was one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers. Ever wonder why we commemorate Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)?
View the online exhibit here
Aside from its virtual reality tour, the Intramuros Administration’s channel is a bastion for 16th to 19th century ecclesiastical artifacts and objects. Following its mandate to restore and develop the walled city as a monument to the Spanish Colonial Period in Philippine history, the walled city is continuously maintaining its many components. Their exhibits show objects with intricate designs made from ivory, bones, and wood, among others.
View the online exhibit here
Vincent Van Gogh is a total hit to many people all over the world. The museum’s permanent collection offers a total Van Gogh feast as it is comprised of 1,450 objects including his paintings, drawings, and letters. Explore its various floors at your coach in just a few swipes and touches.
View the online exhibit here
Apart from its exhibition, “From Station to the Renovated Musée d’Orsay”, the museum features around 270 items in various mediums (watercolor, oil paint, and acrylic paint) — a huge chunk of this featured online collection is of Modern art. The museum’s history also fascinates tourists as it was installed in a former railway station of Orsay.
View the online exhibit here
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles
Would you believe their channel features 15,745 artworks? It may seem like a quick review of your art appreciation and art history classes. The J. Paul Getty Museum features 4 online exhibitions including “Director’s Choice: Getty Museum Acquisitions 2019”. This features museum director Timothy Potts’ inaugural review of their 2019 collection.
View the online exhibit here
Frida Kahlo remains as the most popular Latin American artist for her many portraits which evoke boldness, passion, authenticity, and above all — femininity. The museum is located at The Blue House (La Casa Azul), where Kahlo lived and died. Being married to Diego Rivera, both of their works speak of Mexican cultures and its peoples which you can see from your homes. Even better than that, get an up-close experience inside her studio.
View the online exhibit here
The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum presents Asian art differently; that these aren’t imitations of the ones from the West or iterations of traditional art. It’s a go-to for art lovers as it ‘systematically collects and exhibits Asian modern and contemporary art’. Score a totally charming experience of Asian art — even the ones by our fellow Filipinos are on display online.
View the online exhibit here
