Many of us our missing the physical encounter with art, the thrill that comes from being in the same space as an artwork, the physical emotion of being in the gallery. The virtual world, for the meantime, is gaining our full attention, and technology is without doubt a saviour of sorts. The spirit of the artist, it appears, rarely ceases. They will be making, thinking, creating wherever they can. Nonetheless, we desperately look forward to a return to the ‘real’, when this terrible pandemic, that is unsettling for so many across our world, is over; and when our artists can resume their studio spaces, order their materials, have access to all the tools, equipment and other necessary items for their art making, and of course, to when they can put their work out into the world and we can open our galleries again for people to come into.
Clíodhna Shaffrey, Director