[PRESS RELEASE] How to Organize a Virtual Exhibition | Difussion #35

Yogyakarta, October 10th, 2020 – As one of the sectors critically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the art sector is often not considered a primary need. However, the number of canceled art events did not dampen ARTJOG’s intention as one of the pioneers of art festivals in Indonesia to participate in canceling the event. ARTJOG tries to adapt by holding virtual exhibitions. Through the 35th Difussion series, Center for Digital Society (CfDS) UGM further explores how to hold virtual exhibitions through Gading Narendra Paksi, who is now the Program Manager of ARTJOG 2020. This event was held through the Google Meet and broadcasted via YouTube channels.

ARTJOG and Artist Resilience

The theme of “Resilience” carried out by ARTJOG 2020 is not ordinary. Apart from adapting the situations, “Resilience” also wants to convey that ARTJOG remains in the community to defend what has been fought for the past 12 years. The decision to focus on art exhibitions has brought more than 80 artists to continue working despite being affected by the pandemic. Gading emphasized that the spirit of resilience lives in an artist, where flexibility and adaptability are imperative. The presence of ARTJOG in the community seems to be a pioneer of the spirit of resilience of art workers in Yogyakarta. Many artists are motivated to keep working, and galleries keep their doors open, implying that art has not died during this pandemic.

Virtual Exhibition as the Future?

As an effort to adapt, ARTJOG’s choice fell to making a documentary film titled Expanded ARTJOG. This choice is considered the most appropriate solution to continue presenting ARTJOG and its contents to the public, even though Gading believes that direct attendance is still the best way to enjoy the exhibition. Various methods ranging from Augmented and Virtual Reality to 360-degree videos were explored during the planning process, but they were deemed insufficient to deliver the desired exhibition experience.

The journey to create a virtual exhibition is not easy. Starting from changing themes and concepts that take a lot of time, equalizing all parties’ frequency, and financial problems are some of the main challenges in the planning process. However, virtual exhibitions can be a bridge to build connections with artists from outside Java or Indonesia who often have difficulty coming to ARTJOG directly. Virtual exhibitions also facilitate the internationalization process of ARTJOG to reach overseas markets. In the future, Gading aspires to maintain several ways online and converge online and offline exhibitions at ARTJOG.

Author: Christophorus Ariobumi

Editor: Ruth Simanjuntak