Finding Light in Dark Times Through Art

The mass spread of coronavirus in China left the country’s government coping with one of its worst crises in decades. This subsequently led to a near complete shutdown of the country, leaving cultural centers, museums and galleries closed indefinitely.

Chinese artists compete in online exhibition. Photo courtesy Israeli Consulate in Guangzhou

The well-known Fei Gallery based in the large city of Guangzhou, China recently began a new and unique initiative called ‘Art from home’. In this initiative, professional and amateur artists send photos via email of their work that was completed at home during a period in which the streets are nearly empty. Once a week, the gallery holds a virtual exhibition presenting hundreds of pieces that were submitted. The initiative has received widespread praise and has been vastly disseminated to a variety of audiences.

The Consulate General of Israel in Guangzhou, Peleg Levi, who has been working to emphasize Israel’s solidarity with the people of China during this difficult period, contacted the organizers of the exhibition and decided together to begin a collaborative effort.

Next week’s exhibition will be dedicated to food industry workers, and will be sponsored by Israel, with symbols of the State of Israel appearing in the advertisements of both the exhibition and the initiative. “Art is without a doubt a bridge between nations, especially in types of crisis,” Levi stated.

And for winning this week’s exhibition, Levi will reward the top 20 artists with perhaps the most prized possession in China these days – medical masks!