2020 was like no other year. Characterized by uncertainty, we have all reached our limits. Our professional and private lives have changed from one day to the next. In many areas, we have had to and still have to rethink, both as a society and as individuals. The experience of art has also changed abruptly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Art events were canceled, encounters between artists and interested parties are still only possible to a limited extent and contact has been reduced to a minimum. The media provide a remedy. Virtual exhibitions, video previews and streamed interviews help to maintain contact and take encounters with art to another level. But with all these new possibilities, it is clear that art cannot only take place online. The media world is no substitute for seeing a work of art in the original, being able to look at it closely, grasp every detail and feel its spatial impact.
But what to do? Buying a work of art to bring the enjoyment of art home is out of the question for many people due to short-time working or even job losses. The AffordableAnna25 exhibition aims to build precisely this bridge: making art tangible again by bringing it home. Bringing joy with art, whether as a Christmas present for a loved one or as a purchase for yourself – and in a setting that is affordable. The exhibition brings together eight gallery artists and their works, which range in price from 50 to 2000 euros and are thus made accessible to a wider audience.
Perhaps now is the right time to invest in art? Now, when it’s getting uncomfortable outside and we have to spend a lot of time indoors again due to contact restrictions and working from home, art can make a crucial difference. Art strengthens our well-being, stimulates our imagination and can help to keep the dreariness of gray days at bay. So it’s time to do something good for ourselves and others.
What would our home be without our little treasures, the personal objects that reflect our personality? Everyone is a collector to some extent. We collect things that make us happy. Works by selected artists can be used to enhance a home in many different ways. Art can be many things: an investment, a purely decorative choice or a kind of relationship between buyer and work. Everything has its justification and yet some works of art have a particularly high potential to make us happy. But how do you find the right work? Lovers of large-format paintings, such as those by Bernhard Paul, black and white photographs by Thomas Nitz or delicate small formats by Kejoo Park often know exactly what they want. Sometimes, however, they are simply chance finds that inspire. The works that ignite a spark between the viewer and the work make it clear: that’s what it has to be! With art, as is so often the case, it’s the gut feeling that counts. Whenever it “clicks”, you are on the right track to experience long-lasting pleasure from a work of art. Art is not only systemically relevant in our society, it also simply makes us happy.
And don’t forget: Christmas is just around the corner! If you want to give your loved ones something that is more than just a nice gesture, a work of art will hit the right note. Let yourself be inspired!
Exhibited artists:
Raymond Gantner, Pham Thai Ho, Heiko Huber, Thomas Nitz, Irmi Obermeyer, Kejoo Park, Bernhard Paul, Peter Lang