Tussenkunstenquarantaine - Art and Quarantine

When art and quarantine meet

Anneloes Officier, a 31-year-old woman living in Amsterdam, started this project as she and her roommate, Floor de Weger began working from home under the government’s instructions. They launched the challenge amongst friends, by recreating Vermeer’s “Girl with a pearl earring” (which was posted to Anneloes’ personal Instagram) – only to get the prestigious Dutch museum, Rijkmuseum to follow her.

This prompted the launch of @tussenkunstenquarantaine which means “in between art and quarantine”, challenging millions of people to join in and share their own rendition of famous paintings using objects they have at home.

 The page quickly picked up, getting reposted by the MET, The Louvres, the Getty- with thousands of people partaking in the movement. All the big masters have been covered, from Dali, Klimt, Mondrian, Picasso to Frida Kahlo, Normal Rockwell and Caspar David Friedrich, as the hashtag #tussenkunstquarantine continues to take a life of its own. Aerosols, hand sanitizers, toilet paper, fruits and vegetables have all been put to creative use, doubling as still-life components of the painting parodies.

With almost 300K followers today, the page is meant to bring some humor and fun into this difficult period, all done through a nod to art: just the breath of fresh air we need right now.

interviewed by philippe ghabayen