(Το κραγιόν και οι μάσκες δεν πάνε μαζί) της Tamar Levi*
Ποτέ δεν είχα ζωγραφίσει μια ολόκληρη συλλογή στη διάρκεια μιας καραντίνας. Πολλοί περισσότεροι λάτρεις της τέχνης έκαναν την εμφάνισή τους στην έκθεση μου “IMMENSITIES” απ’ όσους περίμενα. Ήρθαν με χαμόγελα πίσω από μάσκες, προσδοκώντας για ανθρώπινη επαφή, άλλοι μοναχικοί, μερικά ζευγάρια και κάποιες μικρές οικογένειες, όλοι έφτασαν αργά αλλά με σιγουριά στη γκαλερί Art Base εδώ στις Βρυξέλλες, στο Βέλγιο. Ήταν τιμή μου να καλωσορίσω επισκέπτες στην πρώτη τους έξοδο από το σπίτι τους, από την αρχή της παγκόσμιας πανδημίας COVID19. Η πανδημία άλλαξε το κοινό μου. Παρατήρησα ότι οι πιο προσεκτικοί από αυτούς αγοράζουν έργα τέχνης από το διαδίκτυο και η πλειονότητα αυτών που ήρθαν οι ίδιοι ήταν ένα νέο κοινό, ενώ πολλά ήταν τα άτομα που γνώρισα για πρώτη φορά εκεί. Ήταν εκπληκτικό που συναντήθηκα με τόσα νέα πρόσωπα μετά από μήνες αλληλεπίδρασης μας μόνο σε μια μικρή φούσκα.
Ακολουθούν οι προτάσεις μου για το πως διοργανώνεται μια έκθεση ζωγραφικής κατά τη διάρκεια μιας πανδημίας.
Βήμα 1ο. Βεβαιωθείτε ότι οι ημερομηνίες σας είναι σύμφωνες με τους περιορισμούς. Ελέγξτε ότι τόσο εσείς όσο και η γκαλερί αισθάνεστε άνετα με την ημερομηνία, αναβάλλετε την έκθεση εάν υπάρχει περιορισμός λόγω καραντίνας ή κόκκινης ζώνης που θα δυσκολέψει το κοινό σας ή που θα μπορούσε να σας κάνει ως οικοδεσπότες να αισθάνεστε άβολα. Ελέγξτε τις κυβερνητικές οδηγίες και βεβαιωθείτε ότι η πιθανή επιλογή πώλησης εισιτηρίων σας, έχει περιορισμούς που αντικατοπτρίζουν τις κυβερνητικές διατάξεις. Βήμα 2ο. Βεβαιωθείτε ότι το κοινό σας κατανοεί πλήρως το τι παίζει.
Κάθε φορά που υπήρχε μια μικρή πληροφορία σχετικά με την τοποθεσία, τις ημερομηνίες, την προετοιμασία, σχέδια εκδηλώσεων, φρόντισα να το επικοινωνήσω μέσω σχεδόν όλων των μέσων κοινωνικής δικτύωσης (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin). Αυτό ήταν εξαντλητικό, αλλά έπρεπε οι επισκέπτες της γκαλερί να λάβουν όλες τις απαντήσεις σε πιθανές ερωτήσεις τους. Ακόμα κι αν η κυβέρνηση λέει ότι μπορείτε να έχετε έως και 200 άτομα σε μια εκδήλωση, μπορεί να μην αισθάνεστε άνετα εσείς που γνωρίζετε το κοινό σας καλύτερα. Είναι πιθανό να αισθάνονται παρόμοια με εσάς, επειδή το δικό σας το κοινό προσελκύεται στο περιεχόμενό σας λόγω της σύνδεσης που αισθάνεστε μεταξύ σας ήδη.
Βήμα 3ο. Προετοιμάστε μια ασφαλή στρατηγική εισόδου και εξόδου.
Οι επισκέπτες της γκαλερί ήταν έτοιμοι για έξοδο στην πόλη, αλλά με ασφαλή τρόπο. Ήταν κουρασμένοι από το γεγονός ότι εδώ και μήνες δεν ζουν ουσιαστικά τη ζωή τους. Ο ιδιοκτήτης της γκαλερί επινόησε ένα αριθμημένο σύστημα περιστροφής εισιτηρίων όπου οι επισκέπτες έβλεπαν τους πίνακες σε δεξιόστροφη κατεύθυνση. Εάν ήταν περισσότερα από 20 άτομα στο χώρο, τους ζητούσε να δώσουν τον αριθμό τους στο επόμενο άτομο στην πόρτα. Το προγραμματίσαμε αυτό, ώστε αν υπήρχαν περισσότερα από 40 άτομα το βράδυ των εγκαινίων, να έκανα την ομιλία μου στον εξωτερικό χώρο, αντί να ενθαρρύνουμε όλους να βρίσκονται πολύ κοντά ο ένας με τον άλλο στο εσωτερικό.
Βήμα 4ο. Εκτιμήστε τους συνεργάτες σας. Δείξτε λίγη συμπόνια σε όλους τους άλλους ανθρώπους που σας βοηθούν ώστε αυτό το πράγμα να γίνει πραγματικότητα. Ο φωτογράφος σας έχει χάσει πολλές «δουλειές» κατά τη διάρκεια της απαγόρευσης κυκλοφορίας. Ο ιδιοκτήτης της γκαλερί έπρεπε να ακυρώσει πολλές εκδηλώσεις τους προηγούμενους μήνες και είχε αυξανόμενα χρέη. Χρειάζεται ενσυναίσθηση. Η πανδημία είναι μια στιγμή για να είστε φιλικοί, όχι ντίβες – ας είστε ευγενικές.
Βήμα 5ο. Μάσκα
Οι VIP επισκέπτες ρώτησαν. «Πρέπει να φορέσω μάσκα μπροστά από τις κάμερες;» Ανησυχούσα ότι το κραγιόν μου θα είχε τριφτεί γύρω από το στόμα μου κι ότι θα έμοιαζα με κλόουν. Πρέπει να φοράω μακιγιάζ κάτω από τη μάσκα μου; Πρέπει να βγάλω τη μάσκα μου όταν μου παίρνουν συνέντευξη; Οι κυβερνητικές οδηγίες για τη χρήση μάσκας άλλαξαν ενώ η έκθεση ακόμα «έτρεχε». Νομίζω ότι είναι ευγενικό να ζητάμε άδεια από τον εκάστοτε δημοσιογράφο, του τύπου, «σας πειράζει αν βγάλω τη μάσκα μου;».
Βήμα 6ο. Καθαριότητα Η διατήρηση ενός αποστειρωμένου σπιτιού είναι αδύνατη – ένας αποστειρωμένος δημόσιος χώρος είναι ακόμη πιο δύσκολος. Αυτός είναι ένα από τους τομείς ανησυχίας που μου εξέφρασαν γονείς νέων παιδιών (όπως είμαι κι εγώ) που ήδη χάνουν τη μάχη του ελέγχου. Μην περιμένετε υψηλότερο επίπεδο καθαριότητας από αυτό που βιώνατε πριν την πανδημία.
Βήμα 7ο. Χαλαρώστε Είναι η ημέρα των εγκαινίων. Έχετε βγει από την καραντίνα. Τα έχετε δώσει όλα για την προετοιμασία του event. Έχετε μεταφέρει και κρεμάσει όλους τους πίνακες. Τα φώτα έχουν στηθεί. Έχετε επικοινωνήσει με ειλικρίνεια στο κοινό σας και με καλοσύνη σε όλους τους συνεργάτες σας. Έχετε στείλει προσκλήσεις μέσω διαδικτύου και υπάρχει διαθέσιμο μικρόφωνο, σε περίπτωση που χρειαστεί. Φοράτε κάτι που σας ενθουσιάζει! Προσοχή – μην επιλέξετε τακούνια μετά από μήνες που δεν τα έχετε φορέσει! Τα δάχτυλα των ποδιών μου βίωσαν τρομακτικό επίπεδο μουδιάσματος μετά από αυτό το γεγονός, για πάρα πολλές μέρες!
Η εκδήλωση ξεκίνησε στις 6 μ.μ. Υπήρχε μια στιγμή μόνο, περίπου στις 5:30, όπου είχα ένα μικρό όραμα για το εγγύς μέλλον: Ξέρω ποια είμαι και τι έχω πετύχει, ξέρω τι πρόκειται να γίνει. Ήταν η πρώτη φορά που άφησα τον εαυτό μου να φανταστεί πώς θα είναι η εκδήλωση. Πριν από εκείνη τη στιγμή δεν θα μπορούσα να φανταστώ ένα όραμα της εκδήλωσης. Ο δικός μου φόβος για την ολοένα αναπτυσσόμενη πανδημία μου προκάλεσε πανικό. Μπορεί να μην ήταν μια τέλεια εκδήλωση, αλλά δεν θα μπορούσα να κάνω κάτι περαιτέρω, η τέχνη μου ήταν τόσο καλή όσο μπορούσε να είναι, στο μέγιστο των δυνατοτήτων μου, σε αυτήν την χρονική στιγμή.
Τελευταίο βήμα για τη ζωή γενικά (Ποτέ μην το ξεχάσετε) Ευγνωμοσύνη.
Ευχαριστώ τους καλεσμένους μου που ήρθαν. Ευχαριστώ συλλέκτες που επενδύσατε σε έναν καλλιτέχνη εν ζωή. Και αναγνώρισα ότι χάρη στο πείσμα και στην αφοσίωση στην τέχνη μου, πραγματοποιήθηκε μια ζωντανή εκδήλωση. Οι πραγματικές αλληλεπιδράσεις είναι γεμάτες με πιθανότητες για νέα τέτοια γεγονότα, και όλοι χρειαζόμαστε αυτό το είδος αισιοδοξίας σε αυτή τη χρονική στιγμή. Ευχαριστώ τον κάτοχο της γκαλερί που μοιράστηκε τον χώρο του. Ευχαριστώ τους δημοσιογράφους. Ευχαριστώ τη μπέιμπι σίτερ για τη φροντίδα του παιδιού μας. Ευχαριστώ τους αγαπημένους μου που με υποστηρίζουν. Και έτσι χτύπησα τον εαυτό μου ελαφρά στην πλάτη γιατί έφτιαξα κάτι νέο και ελπιδοφόρο και ζωντανό σε αυτό τον γελοίο κόσμο.
* Η Ταμάρ Λέβι είναι ζωγράφος και συγγραφέας παιδικών βιβλίων. Μεγάλωσε στην Αλάσκα, ζει στο Βέλγιο και έχει «παντρευτεί» την Ελλάδα.
Last day of my solo show at Art Base gallery! I’ll be there between 2-6pm today. Address: Rue des Sables 29, Brussels 1000.
Here are some of the paintings profiled on the biggest weekend morning show in Greece (w English subtitles).
(Lipstick & Masks Don’t Mix)
I now know what it takes to paint, plan and welcome people to art events and sell art during a pandemic.
It takes: flexible dates (watch out for panic), constant considerate communication (bring in forgiveness), safety & sterility measures, and in the end, letting go and gratitude.
I’d never painted a whole art collection during a national lockdown. I’d never planned an art show during a global pandemic. I’d never seen the relief of culture lovers reconnecting in the “new normal.”
More art lovers showed up to my art show IMMENSITIES than expected. They came with smiles behind masks, in hope for interaction, solitary culture vultures, some in pairs and some small families, all arriving slowly but surely to Art Base gallery here in Brussels, Belgium.
It was my honour to welcome some visitors on their first venture out of the house since the beginning of the global Coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic switched up my audience. I noticed those taking precautions were buying art online, and the majority of those coming in person were a new audience, many people I met for the very first time. It was surprising to meet so many new people after months of interacting with only a small bubble.
Here are my suggestions on How to Run A Successful In-Person Arts Event During a Pandemic.
Step 1)Make sure your dates are in line with pandemic restrictions.
Check both you and the gallery are comfortable with the date, postpone if there is a lockdown or red-zone level restriction that would limit your audience or make you as hosts feel uncomfortable. Check the government guidelines for numbered groups of non-family members. Make sure your ticket sales option has restrictions in place that reflect the government guidelines. The main theme underlying these step is the uncertainty, the fear of planning things that might not come about, the wariness in case it will be rescheduled or cancelled. “Pandemic permitting,” might be the phrase to put at the end of every supply chain interaction. Work towards the event on any element that you can despite a possible changing date. It’s better to have everything ready and postpone than wait until dates are secure and be biting your nails for months and rushing at the last minute. The quality of your work will be closer to guaranteed if you do everything steadily.
Step 2) Make sure your audience understand what’s going on.
This is where we must embrace social media (as dark and scary as it is). Every time there was an iota of information regarding location, dates, preparation, event plans, I made sure to communicate it with utter transparency through almost all my social media channels and website. This was exhausting, but I hoped gallery visitors anticipating the show were getting answers to the questions that they wanted to ask. I answered event safety questions from gallery visitors through Facebook (personal pages, professional pages and event invites), Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, email, text message SMS, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, my website, Instagram direct messages and telephone calls.
I made three mistakes.
I should have made an email invitation or forwarded on the gallery’s newsletter with the full description of the event to those guests who do not use social media at all.
Although I made Instagram and Facebook stories, I should have also made video blogs on my YouTube channel to update people and to outline the strategies that we were putting in place for other art event planners that might want these guidelines in a visual format (e.g., I watch How To…. videos on YouTube more than reading blogs like this). This video output could have included a live Zoom or YouTube streaming experience of the artwork that would have made it accessible to e.g. family far away (I’m still bummed my mother has not seen any of this painting collection in person).
There were a lot of TV news cameras and newspaper cameras in the gallery. This happened at my last show and a lady confidentially asked to have her background profile removed from any social media posts. I mentioned this in advance when talking in person or on the phone to prospective visitors but I should have made it clearer in every interaction, including emphasising to gallery visitors that they then have the duty to inform their plus ones. There was one guest’s plus one, a gentleman in particular who did not feel comfortable having news cameras in the gallery and I regretted not giving him a more reassuring fair warning.
Those mistakes, those gaps in the information output, are regretful. However, the main theme underlying this step is forgiveness. You cannot do everything. No one can. You cannot create high quality work, put together a high-quality event AND use all the social media and communication networks to the extent they offer (there are always more ways you can utilise them, that’s part of the addiction). Unless you have a massive media communication team at hand, and even then, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to coordinate all the information needed during a pandemic.
The reason that you can never “win” and do it all is because it’s a moving target. It’s a living organism. Event planning is a protean beast at the best of times. During the global Coronavirus pandemic, we’ve noticed governments sharing conflicting information. If the official information is conflicting, and ever changing, then we individuals have no hope of doing everything by the book. Just try your very best to respect the official guidelines but also pay attention to what feels right for you and your audience.
Even if the government says you can now have up to 200 people at an event, you might not feel comfortable and you might know your audience well too. (They are likely to feel similar to you because your audience is attracted to your content due to the connection you feel already, the shared expression of humanity already bridging between you.) If you don’t feel comfortable and you know your audience won’t either, then consider doing it a different way (an online gallery experience perhaps) that would suit you on a personal level and the people you are hoping to connect with. More people have been buying art online than for any of my previous shows. However, if you intend an in-person event to connect art from your heart to people with a kinship, you need to make sure the presentation reflects that relationship. The way you would want a wedding to reflect your relationship.
If you put on an event that doesn’t suit your personality or needs, the art itself will become alienated from the people that end up trying to connect to it. It will be disingenuous to invite everyone you know to a place where you don’t want them to be. We all have to be in the right head space to connect in the arts. Unless you are buying original art for investment purposes only, it’s more likely you’ll be looking to find a bond with a painting. We need to be feel safe to engage with the artwork. This is not the time for forcing provocation upon an already anxiety-burdened public.
Step 3) Prepare a safe entrance and exit strategy.
Gallery visitors were ready to go out on the town, but in a safe way. They were tired of not living their lives. The gallery owner devised a numbered ticket rotation system where you viewed the paintings in a clockwise direction. If more than 20 people were in the room you were asked to pass your number to the next person at the door and step to the open-air gathering space just outside the gallery. We planned that if there were more than 40 people on opening night that I would then do my little welcoming and contextualising speech amongst everyone outside, rather than encouraging us all to linger too close inside.
Step 4) Love your collaborators. Show some compassion to all the other people making this thing happen in your team. The photographer has lost a lot of business during the lockdown. The gallery owner had to cancel a lot of events and had rising debts. I’m sure many art galleries are facing untenable rent and utility bills. I stepped up the dialectic rate and the empathy in my communication with all suppliers and contractors and collaborators. A pandemic is a time for an empathetic friend, not a diva. (Actually, I don’t know when is the time to be a diva.)
In this circumstance I listened to whatever the gallery owner suggested and worked as hard as possible to be flexible on dates and in-gallery hours. I paid the photographer more than invoiced because we’ve got to keep each other alive when we can. An arts event is more of a family gathering than a corporate event would be. We are often poorly paid for the amount of hours put in, underappreciated as limited producers in the capitalist system, and each of us are facing just as much uncertainty as our cousins in the theatre and music spheres. No one here is future proof and the new normal is eating into all of our savings.
Just be kind.
Step 5)Mask wearing
VIP guests asked “Should I wear a mask in front of the news cameras?” I worried my lipstick would have rubbed around my mouth like a clown. Should I wear make up under my mask? Should I take my mask off when being interviewed? The government guidelines on mask wearing changed mid-show. Again, I think it’s courteous to ask permission from the press journalist or interlocutor, “do you mind if I take my mask off?” I also think this harks back to the comfort level described above. If you are more comfortable taking precautions your audience might be similar to you and want the same things. If you are feverishly denying this global event and it is part of your brand to clan together with other deniers, you’re probably reading the room correctly and in that kind of event masks might not even be welcome!
Step 6)Cleaning
Keeping a sterile home is impossible, a sterile public space is even more tricky. If it were my gallery, I might have budgeted for more cleaning, however I understand it’s a LOT to do and stay on top of and costly in time and energy or cleaning bills. This is one of those areas of concern that has been voiced to me by parents of young children (as I am) who are already losing the battle of control. I feel it helps to know the space you are entering, as you are also entering into a nonverbal contract of trust. You might have visited in the past and known what their level of cleanliness is or been to similar venues or museums and become familiar with what to expect. Do not expect a higher standard of sterility than what you experienced pre-pandemic, because I can speak with assurance, the post-pandemic world is more strapped for time and cash and the cleaning budget might be one of the first things to slip. If parenting a child who touches everything (and then their mouths) is part of the concern, then this needs to be assessed by the parent who is battling with what compromised level of control they need to in order to enjoy an activity in a public space.
Step 7)Letting Go
This bring us to Step 7, letting go. It’s the day of the show. You’ve survived lockdown. You’ve done the artwork to the peak of your present ability. You’ve prepared the hanging devices. You’ve transported it safely to the venue. You’ve hung and curated the space. The lights are set up. You’ve communicated with transparency to your audience and with kindness to all collaborators. You’ve detailed mask safety, safe entrance and exit, cleanliness and courtesy with everyone involved to a comfort level that suits both you and your guests. You’ve got invitations up online and a microphone available if needed. You’re wearing something you’re excited to wear. (Don’t choose heels after months of not wearing heels! My toes experienced frightening levels of numbness after this event, for a record amount of time!) You’re in place and your car has a little note on it saying “Please don’t tow me, I’m in the gallery right now, please tell me if there’s a problem with parking here,” and similarly, your child is safe at home with a familiar babysitter and a little note that says “Please read her four stories before bed.”
The event started at 6pm.There was a moment only around 5.30 wherein I had a small vision of the near future: I know who I am and what I made, I know what this is going to be.
It was the first time I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like.
Prior to that moment I’d been unable to project a vision of the event. My own fear of the ever-developing pandemic caused a mental imagery block. This is panic. Long term, sustained panic. This is the kind of thing that causes mind-body PTSD. Painting during lockdown through the anxiety and paralysis: unable to be certain if the main exhibition event would happen or not, unable to do anything but respond to the entrapment with landscape art that represents freedom, all I could do was make sure I communicated clearly through my art and show up on the day. It might not have been a perfectly executed event, but I could not be more than I am and the art was exactly as good as I could deliver to the best of my abilities in this exact moment.
How do we calm panic in this instance? How do we cure mind-body PTSD when trying to do something normalizing in a not normal new normal? It feels innocent to offer art to friends post-pandemic, but it’s actually a huge undertaking. So we must circle back to forgiveness. I forgive myself for not following all of social media’s siren calls. I forgive myself for not being as slim as I was before lockdown. I forgive myself for not painting that one painting to the majesty of my original vision. I forgive myself for not being able to have family close-by. I forgive myself for letting go of my normal painting-by-sight. Forgiveness for painting by memory, for my new artistic abstractions which are not my normal skillset, but they are new, evolved skills. I forgive myself for weeping to calm my perfectionism. I forgive myself for making this all that it is, during this strange era, whatever it becomes.
Sustained fear is unhealthy. We have all gone through a major global event with a lot of uncertainty involved. One suggestion in PTSD therapy is to connect mind and body again. Small actions like focusing on the sensation of hair brushing, or taking warm baths, or going for nature walks and paying attention to breathing in sun and air… Also, making movement a part of daily life: silly dancing (be safe wiggling to the radio when in the shower), rough and tumble child’s play, focusing on the tasteful pleasure of healthy food choices. It’s incredibly difficult to find space for small movements when we prioritise big achievements. But without the mindful small movements we can’t survive with mental and physical health intact to enjoy this or the next big events.
Last Step For Life (Never to Forget)Gratitude
Thank your guests for showing up. Thank your art collectors for investing in a living artist. Thank your collaborators for bringing their skills to the table. And acknowledge that your stubborn commitment to your art made a live event. Passing on that commitment to your art is a kind of death, a possible depression and stepping back from an event you committed to would be fading away from the community you’re contributing to, and fading away from the positive vision of vibrant humanity you’re trying to express and keep aflame at this time. The real-life interactions are brimming with possibility at these kinds of events and we all need that kind of optimism at this time. Thank the gallery owner for sharing their space. Thank the journalists for sharing their platforms. Thank the locality for a sense of place. Thank the babysitter for the childcare. Thank the support from the loved ones that are left. And pat yourself on the back for having made something new and hopeful come alive in this ridiculous world.
My art show IMMENSITIES is on until Oct 10th. Art Base, 29 rue des Sables, 1000 Bruxelles
I must remember the kind words during the long months of making art in isolation. Otherwise, the critical thinking takes over.
“Finally I found what I’ve been looking for all this time in Brussels. This painting is my gift to myself to remember a 20 year career here.” ~ Karin
“It was the most exciting outing I have had!! I loved hearing the stories behind the paintings. But most of all I was happy to finally see you after following your journey of your art through social media. My friend [name] is an art lover and was so thrilled that I invited her. Looking forward to receiving the link to the prints. [Name] and I were already discussing where I would put them in my house…”
Some of the visitor’s book got illustrated with lots of love for my paintings and even a suspicious looking “dolphin.”
Meet up groups left very positive reviews online
“Beautiful, Tamar you’re a real artist.”
“Thanks for the immense Naxos joy that you’ve provided for my birthday and beyond! Looking forward to more amazing art from you!!”
“Wow! I don’t know how you do it all…”
“It was quite an emotional experience.”
Some comments were sketches: portraits by little artists… of me!
It’s like looking in a mirror!
Some of these comments were shared in the gallery, some online and some illustrated in the gallery’s visitor book by the youngest art appreciators yet.
“[T]he painting is You! whats been sold was just a small part of your beautiful heart that will simply regenerate and create more love. like a beautiful vine tree.” ~Vicky Anastasiou
“…it’s amazing, your very best art work! Keep going! Really enchanted from these journeys you took me…”
“The paintings have a thrilling effect. I felt goosebumps myself, and then goosebumps again, standing next to the art collector who was getting goosebumps herself. I could feel the visceral connection she had with the painting.” ~ Viktoryia
“…it was magical to feel that part of me and life”
“…[A]n enchanting journey… full of emotions and positive vibrations…”
“Wonderful,” ~Stella Gadona
“Thanks to you for finding that inspiration…”
“I love how much joy it brings and the colour palette you use is so filled with sun and warmth,” ~ Cherine
“Tamar Levi’s exhibition is absolutely awesome and unique!! I enjoyed it!!!” ~Nadia
So many lovely page mentions and shares too, e.g. comedian extraordinaire Lila Stambouloglou:
Some comments were from faraway. They continue to remind me that friendship love and support knows no boundaries.
Gallery visitors whispered things that will keep me motivated to paint more.
“This one makes me feel very deeply,” ~Agita
There’s even a surprise in the visitor’s book. A page illustrated with great talent by another artist, (sadly left unsigned). A portrait of me which appears to appreciate more than my art.
Hot off the press!
A Brussels-based article about my current art show… and finally a sneak peek to my next one!
The ever-bustling art scene in Brussels is having a come-back after the pandemic and one of the exhibitions not to miss is most definitely ‘IMMENSITIES” by the artist Tamar Levi, up in Art Base (29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles) until the 10th of October. The collection of around twenty paintings on her travels from Greece to Belgium was painted during the lockdown in Belgium, with the goal to create a window to the world for the viewer and evoke the feeling of freedom. On the occasion of the exhibition and intrigued by Tamar’s life and work, we spoke with the artist who first described to us more how it came to exhibition itself.
‘Due to the pandemic, studio spaces were closed so I painted these twenty canvases during lockdown in my apartment with my family right on top of me. The close quarters inspired a response to the pandemic in my art: I made the landscapes more expansive, and more of an escape view, to create more windows in people’s homes. That’s why the collection is called IMMENSITIES, it’s the big idea of freedom through my painted landscapes, freedom for the viewer’s minds and souls to expand into wide open spaces.’
And indeed, when you look at the pieces in the exhibition, you have this feeling of expansion and freedom, achieved not only by the lines of the strokes but also the fact that the painting doesn’t end with a frame – it flows over it and includes it in itself, breaking all the boundaries and creating a unique sculptural depth for the viewer.
‘My original idea of painting on the frame aims to draw the viewer into the scene, in a sculptural way. This provides the art collector with immediacy for hanging. The bespoke frames provide deep dimensionality. This allows the viewer to step into a scene. Another window for their home.’
And to make this new window view as beautiful as possible, Tamar spent a lot of time carefully choosing the right frames for the paintings to have the perfect match.
‘To prepare for this collection I hunted for the biggest and most beautiful antique frames from markets and auction houses in Athens, Greece and Brussels, Belgium. Then I affixed and painted both canvases and frame simultaneously.’
Tamar is already known to the Brussels audience through her several solo exhibitions and illustrations of books for children, with this exhibition being special for her as it build ups on all the work so far. Having always done drawings in her sketchbook and later illustrations for children’s books, she was now able to go back to those sketchbooks and find the original ideas behind the shapes for this painting collection.
EU PARLIAMENT FEMINIST FORUM ART SHOW BY TAMAR LEVI
‘I have always done drawings I normally illustrate in pen and ink in a minimalist zen continuous line style, however this collection is unusual for me; it was created with a bespoke mix of bright colours. I think of it as being in the Fauvist tradition of colour practice. These were worked on for months in colour theory research and applied as mixed media with oil pastels to create a cohesion in the collection and a sense of many dimensions in the image. The oil pastel on top of acrylic creates a link between my illustration work and my painting work.’
Growing up in Alaska, Tamar never expected to be based at the heart of European politics. She fell in love with a Greek man, whose career brought them here and then she fell in love with the city as well, with Brussels parks being now one of her main motifs.
‘I just cannot stop painting these parks. Is it some kind of secret that Brussels has over seventy parks and they are gorgeous and characterful and joyous too?’
ARTIST TAMAR LEVI AND HER SKETCHBOOK IN BRUSSELS (C)ANJA STRELEC
But Tamar’s fascination with Brussels doesn’t stop there. She sees Brussels as a buffet of nature and culture, exploring the city, museums and all aspects of art.
‘So far I have been exploring the comic book culture, which fits right in with my previous work and current graphic novel project. But I haven’t even started the adventure of discovering the dance culture, which I’m told is a very rich treasure here. I’m sure the talent on the dance scene will inspire some dance-related series of paintings…’
These are just some of the things that inspire this talented and energetic artist whose drive to create keeps moving her forward at all times, so we were very excited to hear about her upcoming projects and exhibitions.
‘My continuous line portraits of women, which were displayed with the European Parliament’s Feminist Forum, will be on exhibit again, this time at the upcoming TEDx conference here in Brussels. I’m really excited to share these portraits with a wider audience. Also, there’s this graphic novel I’ve been working on for 15 years now which I’m illustrating all in one line (but it has to be the right line!). Two years ago I performed the first chapter, all in one line, with live music to accompany the performance art, and so perhaps it’s time to work on the second chapter’s live performance?’
In the near future, Tamar will also start artistic workshops which we are sure will be a success. And if you would like to meet the artist, visit the gallery this Sunday, 4 October, between 2 and 6 pm and have a first-hand experience, enjoying the views Tamar created.
TAMAR LEVI, PORTRAIT BY IRIS HAIDAU
Interview by Iva Galovic. You can follow Iva on instagram for more interesting Brussels stories.
My art discussed on Mega Channel the biggest TV channel in Greece!
An art curator just informed me that all the paintings have nearly doubled in value due to the huge amount of public interest in my current show….
IMMENSITIES is on until Oct 10th. Art Base, 29 rue des Sables, 1000 Bruxelles
The lockdown made me forget just how serendipitous human interaction truly can be.
So many new and old friends have been able to reconnect in real life, in real time, in this real art show.
Post-pandemic life feels really special. Human interactions are more precious.
Yesterday, separately, two incredible women came into the gallery and I had the powerful feeling we have always been firm friends and will continue to grow and thrive in each other’s company.
One was photographer Corinna Robertson-Liersch whose parallel and mirroring existence as a glowing parent/artist/multilingual professional made me feel like shouting “HERE YOU ARE!” and the other was creative entrepreneur Vik Toria who also gave me goosebumps by identifying all the invisible threads woven into my paintings and sitting down to play “Nostalgia” to my art based on memory… I felt both seen and FOUND.
The pandemic made me forget how soul enriching new encounters can be, filled with possibility and meaning and I woke up grinning today.
I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere. Two rainbow unicorns walk through a pandemic into an art gallery… The colourful artist feels she’s always known but asks for the first time anyway… “Who are YOU?”…
Paintings in the video are from the IMMENSITIES collection on show at Art Base until Oct 10th 2020.
Art Base, 29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles
My art profiled on Belgian TV channel BRUZZ by master of the documentary art Anja Strelec.
My favourite part is how she caught my funky hair waving in the wind like a bug’s antennae!
I’m both delighted and sad my painting of the bluebell forest at Hallerbos was sold.
Being an artist is a labour of love and I went into labour after doing the initial sketches for this exact painting four years ago!
Technically it took all the years of my child’s life to complete the artistic vision I had that day in the forest.
And Tova Niovi just looked at this photo & said: “You had long hair when I was born and I had short hair then and now you have short hair and I have long hair; I could be YOUR mummy now.”
That’s not how time works, sweetie. But who am I to speak: I measure it in paintings. . .
“Hallerbos, Belgium” from the IMMENSITIES collection on show at Art Base until Oct 10th. Art Base, 29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles
I’ll be in the gallery ready & super happy to talk ART with you and your children 2-6pm this Saturday and Sunday!
Art Base, 29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles
Culture show type news clip for my exhibition #IMMENSITIES: paintings of my travels through Greece & Belgium
Today & the next two weekends 2 – 6pm
Art Base, 29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles
It was challenging for me to share this video because I’m very details oriented and I don’t think the lighting shared the true colours of the paintings.
IMMENSITIES Solo Art Show: Art Base, 29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles
My mind boggles seeing the culmination of my lifetime painting right here in hard print in one of Europe’s top national newspapers.
I’m trying to be happy and not to worry about the changing nature of arts and culture events during these strange times and the thought this might be my last art show if things change even more.
It’s been a real struggle to get this art show through the pandemic and available to culture lovers.
My next scheduled one was postponed again and the one after that postponed indefinitely…
So tonight might be my first event in a while and my last one for a long, long while.
I’m just letting tonight be what it’s going to be and I hope to see you there!
IMMENSITIES Solo Art Show: Art Base, 29 rue des Sables Zandstraat, 1000 Bruxelles
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Brief Bio
Educated in London and Cambridge, Tamar has published as an author, illustrator and editor of multiple award-wining books designed for families, classrooms and doctors. Her prized artwork is highly collectible, commissioned by private collectors, sold at private auctions and exhibited in galleries around Europe.
