How has this pandemic affected you and your creative output? How are you adapting to the new realities?
Political riots in October 2019 had already harmed the art scene in Chile. The pandemic is a new blow now: cultural centers and galleries closed mid-March. My solo show was then postponed till further notice and two days later an accident resulted in me having a fractured fibula. I was alone and could not reach my studio on the upper floor, so I found solace and wings in digital drawing and in writing stories that I share on Facebook. But I am getting ready to retake oil painting.
Please share any insights you have learned from this “lock down/self-isolation”? Also, is there a special role you feel artists can play in response to the pandemic?
Nowadays, communicating with our loved ones is easier than ever. Thus, it’s the turn for generous thinking - putting others in the first place. Following the new rules, being resilient and persevering in our work could be somehow inspiring for many.
How do you think this will affect artists, the art world and how people interact with art? How do you feel this crisis might reshape our societies in general?
Sadly, this can be economically disastrous for artists all over the world since most of us depend on shows and sales. I’m a performer too and all my concerts were cancelled. Hopefully we’ll be able to share art’s uniqueness and beauty again soon in order to help make the world a better place. I hope this crisis will demonstrate that our actions do affect others, that our strength lies in our soul and faith, and that life is precious and physical contact simply irreplaceable.
Myriam O is a multi-talented Chilean artist, as she is both an oil painter and performer of Jazz and Latin music. She is devoted equally to both disciplines. She studied art at the Corporación Cultural de Las Condes, in Santiago, and also at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She has held solo shows and participated in group exhibitions in Latin America, Europe and in the Mediterranean area. Her paintings are held in private collections in Chile, U.K., Denmark and Malta.