How an online exhibition can change our perception of an artwork. Because yes size matters ;-)
Art is now more often seen online than in person, most of the time through the screen of our smartphones. One of the challenges to experience art is therefore the sense of scale. Furthermore the original size of an artwork may impact how we perceive the artwork. And it art as in many other fields, yes size matters.
Our appreciation and understanding of a work of art can change based on how big or small do we perceive it to be. Scale can also affect how “important” we presume the art to be. It’s not by chance if historical paintings created to highlights the glory of kings and emperors such as The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David, are BIG!
This theme of the place of scale of an artwork has been explored by the exhibition Monumental curated by Sergio Gomez @sergiogomezart.
example below with the work of artist Dorota Łapa-Maik, Size of original: 30×30 cm exhibited as a 150.00” x 150.00” artwork
The exhibition presented online (December 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022), sponsored by @artnxtlevel and @artplacer.app, questions our perception of size and scale when viewing a work of art by manipulating the environment in which it is presented for viewing.
The online virtual reality exhibition experience enable us to discover a selection of 63 artworks from over 700 submissions from artists from around the world. The original dimensions of each artwork does not exceeds 16 inches (40.64 cm). The images were digitally resized to a scale the curator deemed appropriate for the online experience. “The selection covers a wide range of styles, mediums, and conceptual ideas. The process of selection included investigating how each room in the virtual gallery worked together with various types of work. I was looking for works that ultimately would translate into a larger scale without losing their essence and power as they related to other works in the same room.” says Sergio Gomez.
Curator’s Assistants: Ana Sofia Rodriguez Bernal and Caitlin Kelly Thompson
Artists included in the exhibition
Sue Allison, Nerea Azanza, Peter Blindt, Angie Brooks, Thomas Bucich, Amy Cheng, Patrick William Dodoo, Laurence de Valmy, Alisa Duda, Christine Aischa Ebner, Rudi Eckerle, Tony Efeakpokrire
DebiLynn Fendley, Alex Ferrone, Judith Roston Freilich, Mauricio García Vega, Antonia Guerrero, Philippe Halaburda, Martin Harman, Jyl Anais Ion, George Kassal, Sally Ko, Laurie M. Landry, Dorota Łapa-Maik, Amy Laskin, Joyce P. Lopez, Carole Leslie, ia Llamozas, Toby MacLennan, Inna Malostovker, Jerry McLaughlin, Greta Olivas, Tamara Pavlovic, Judith Peck, Deborah Perlman, Shari Phoenix, Mary-Ann Prack, László Retek, Wayne Anthony Rice, Christopher Rico, Kathleen Roman, Max Ruebensal, Fátima Sardinha, Cristina Sayers, Mohamed Shamim Latiff, Rob Stangroom, S. Manya Stoumen-Tolino, Snezhana Stoyanova, Alicja Swiatlon, Flavia Testa, Arella Tomlinson, The Black Labrador Project, Justin Vasey, Silvia Ventura, Sushmita Vobbilisetty, Julie Weaverling, Hannah Webber, Janette Wright