Museums exhibit online to beat closure
Print Edition
With all Shanghai museums closed due to the novel coronavirus, local art lovers will be pleased to discover they can still get their culture fix online.
Several of the city鈥檚 museums are being proactive and exhibiting works online while outdoor activities have been curbed during the epidemic.
Lu Yao, from Shanghai Museum, said: 鈥淲e have nearly 24 online exhibitions (www.shanghaimuseum.net), including a themed Chinese New Year exhibit and some influential shows from the past several years.鈥
One highlight features late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painter and scholar Dong Qichang (1555-1636). It was one of the most anticipated exhibitions when it was first shown at Shanghai Museum in 2018, with large crowds attending every day.
It was the first time that Dong鈥檚 works had been exhibited in Shanghai and cemented his status in Chinese art history with culture buffs previously unaware of his standing.
Those who missed the original show will be delighted to get a chance to view Dong鈥檚 original works online.
鈥淲e hope to collect and summarize all the digital material and data we have gathered for years, while on the other hand we want to use this special period of time to better understand what our visitors hope to get from these online exhibitions,鈥 said Li Feng, deputy director of Shanghai Museum.
Apart from the online exhibitions, Shanghai Museum also offers dozens of popular lectures and forums on Chinese classical art.
鈥淥f course, visiting a real art exhibition is thoroughly different from a digital art museum,鈥 said Opal Liu, a 45-year-old white-collar worker and frequent Shanghai Museum weekend visitor. 鈥淏ut it also has its advantage. First, you don鈥檛 have to wait in line for several hours at the museum鈥檚 entrance especially for some big exhibitions. Secondly, I won鈥檛 be disturbed by others when appreciating artworks.
鈥淎n online exhibition is more like a visual library that I can read. You get more information viewing artworks this way.鈥
The Pearl Art Museum has joined Shanghai Museum and launched PAM Online, while the nation continues to fight the epidemic.
Shortly before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, the museum launched a new exhibition titled 鈥淟andscape and Books鈥 to celebrate its two-year anniversary. Several contemporary artists put their artworks on display under the theme of 鈥淲est Lake.鈥
鈥淲est Lake鈥 merges knowledge, art, history and civilization into the landscape. Works by big names such as Chen Danqing and Xu Bing were also included.
PAM Online purposely invited Jiang Fangzhou, one of China鈥檚 most famed young women writers, to add her voice to the museum鈥檚 audio program. She introduces each artwork at the exhibition, accompanied by several pictures of an artist鈥檚 work.
Going to a museum plays a big part in Chinese people鈥檚 cultural life. Based on data analysis by an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 40 percent of tourists went to museums during last year鈥檚 weeklong Spring Festival holiday.
The National Cultural Heritage Administration also revealed that museums in China drew more than 1.1 billion visits last year.
However, since the temporary closure of the nation鈥檚 museums, viewing art online is providing a solution to quench the thirst of the country鈥檚 art lovers.
The Inner Mongolia Museum offers an online glimpse into the history and culture of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), while Chengdu Museum provides an online tour of Chinese dining culture.
The Palace Museum, National Museum of China, Hebei Museum, Suzhou Museum, Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, Hunan Museum, Sanxingdui Museum, Emperor Qinshihuang鈥檚 Mausoleum Site Museum, Gansu Provincial Museum and Dunhuang Academy China all offer online visual experiences as well.
鈥淏efore the Spring Festival, I booked a visit to the TeamLab Borderless, a new museum beside the Power Station of Art,鈥 said Jay Wu, a 35-year-old IT worker. 鈥淚 wanted to take my daughter for a stunning visual experience, as I visited TeamLab museum in Tokyo.鈥
Opened in November, the Shanghai TeamLab museum features a collection of 50 original artworks and interactive installations.
鈥淚 received a text message from the museum saying that my reservation was canceled due to the temporary closure,鈥 Wu said. 鈥淚t was such a pity. But I certainly will make my slot again when it reopens.鈥
Asked whether he was interested to see the works online, Wu shrugged off the idea.
鈥淭he wrapping atmosphere in a museum can not be obtained elsewhere, let alone the special ambience permeated from the artworks themselves.
鈥淔or me, this unique experience can only be felt inside an art museum or in front of an original work. Of course, one day if VR technology ripens, it might possibly change the venue of an art museum.鈥
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