How These 4 Artists Around the World Are Handling the Era of Quarantine

Carola Kastman is an established Artist working for over 20 years in Stockholm, Sweden.
@carola_kastman

To be honest it hasn’t changed my everyday life very much because I stand in my studio myself all day anyways. I have worked so many years and built up clientele and demand, so this crisis hit hard on my practice. Now it really is important to take all my creativity and the wealth of invention to find other ways, new approaches. For myself, I chose to go online, increase sales on social media, utilize my web-shop, my online courses, exhibitions... you name it!

We Swedes are very obedient, dutiful and disciplined citizens. My daily routines are that every day go up early, paint a few hours and leave the online things for the evening. I also have a studio on an island out in the Stockholm archipelago where I go twice a week in the winter. From April-Sept I am there every day, because the island is also very popular for tourists from all over the world. That has also changed due to Corona. Now we do not know when or if the island will reopen again. It is a very big change because tourism is so important for me as well; but I try to see the positive side in most things.

I think we will be tourists in our own country and rediscover our own culture. It can benefit me and all other Swedish artists. Above all I will continue to paint. now even more. Thankfully me and my loved ones are healthy. I am sure we are all going out of this as stronger individuals. The time before and after the virus will be a concept. My aim now is to apply new ideas and shape new concepts for the better.

Ewa Matyja is an abstract emerging artist from Poland, currently living and working in Bali, Indonesia.
@ewamatyja

Last year I moved to Bali. The Island of Gods stole my heart. Rich, pure, warm culture of Balinese people made me feel like it is the perfect place to create. It was the first time when I was able to rent a studio, before I was painting in bedrooms of my previous apartments in Poland, Germany or NYC. I was told that Bali has no art scene, but what I learnt is that Bali has an amazing spirit, talent and craft.

The first few months were filled with hard work on upcoming exhibitions, collaborations and projects. Every day I was waking up with new ideas, more energy and possibilities. There were many excitements until the moment of quarantine arrived, and all upcoming events got postponed. Within a few days, everything shifted. From being incredibly productive, focused and determined, it turned to lost, not motivated and confused. At first we all were in shock, many here were in panic, a lot of doubts, the energy changed. It looks like everyone who decided to stay in Bali and not return to their countries went through very similar phases. First panic, stress of an unknown future, then a lot of confusion, demotivation and creative blocks, followed by calmness, and finally realization. I also went through all these steps. And because my daily working routine is usually very dynamic and fast paced, I had to come up with something that will help me to stay completely focused. I decided to start a project called Quarantine Studio Practice, where I create and share one painting on paper a day. These are affordable pieces of art available for sale. I treat it like my daily diary, journaling of my emotions and energy that comes with this new challenging situation. It is a daily visualization of my feelings, affected by everyday changing surroundings of current self-isolation. This project helped me a lot to keep my routine going. Because of it, I started continuing working on the projects that were cancelled or postponed. I truly believe it is important to share beauty and to find the solutions in challenges where we can accept the changes happening around us.

Dana James is an Artist born and raised in New York City.
@mizdanajames

I think a common misconception is that artists are more inspired and productive in times of distress, or that they are somehow programmed to retranslate and mitigate anxiety through their work.  Of course this can be authentic depending on the artist as an individual, but in the time of a pandemic, we are all of our basic needs, plans and resources are plagued with instability. I for one, find it difficult to concentrate.  That being said, I do feel fortunate to be able to paint during this time, because it provides a sense of normalcy for me; art is the one thing that has always remained a constant in my life through all kinds of major shifts. I have been working on finding a balance between productivity and respite, using the time to experiment on a grander scale while still being able to reflect on what has already been created.  I also view this time as a period of privacy - making mistakes can be a luxury for a practicing artist. The virus is a shapeshifter, it is inside our bodies, our art, our socio-economic climate, our technology and our relationships. The hope is that once the host has left, you have learned something.

Tess Williams is a Mixed-Media Artist based out of London, UK.
@tess_williams_studio

Where I live in Central London, life has been pretty overwhelming since going into lockdown. There is no room to get away from what is going on... even the parks are busy! It can make you feel quite claustrophobic and I am yearning for the countryside, nature and to be out of the city. 

I have been working from home, mostly making works on paper. These are great preparatory studies for when I am able to get back into the studio properly... and start making bigger work again. It has also been a good time to catch up on some reading-  'Eva Hesse: Diaries' and 'Art and Instinct: Selected Writings of Roy Oxlade' are the most recent. 

I think we have to use this time to take stock of what we have, what we miss and what we value. And hopefully when we can return to normal life we will be stronger because of this time of reflection. We will appreciate more, and take less for granted.