The Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) and its myriad of inspiring collections has attracted thousands of online views during NSW's 2021 lockdown. One recent installation attracted more than 20,000 views in just one week, delivering a colossal 85 per cent increase in engagement to the Gallery's Instagram account.  

“We know that art provides respite and joy during challenging times, so we are working hard to provide ready access to our collection and our artists online,” says Miranda Carroll, AGNSW's Director of Public Engagement. “We aim to lift people's moods in every way we can.” 

Art lovers eager to visit headline exhibitions scheduled for August and September, including the esteemed Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings and works vying for the Archibald Exhibition, AGNSW devised the Hilma af Klint at Home and Archie at Home online platforms, bringing art into people's homes.  

An impressive suite of digital content was released for Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings exhibition, including a virtual YouTube video that enables a walkthrough of the works, along with a series of videos featuring insights by the curator. The installation attracted significant attention and has been their most popular video to date, receiving 11,000 views in just a few weeks.  

“It was a sad day indeed to share the news that the exhibition – three years in the making and supported by Destination NSW – would not reopen,” says Carroll. But the initial video proved so popular, it was upgraded to a 360-degree immersive exhibition and also included a Hilma af Klint explainer video, becoming the most successful of all the gallery's At Home videos. 

“The pages feature a range of content offering a deeper insight into this visionary Swedish artist who created paintings that are monumental and wondrous,” adds Carroll. 

The other star attraction is the Archie at Home online exhibition, which opens up the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes for 2021, showing off the artworks of the finalists in-situ within the gallery. Art lovers have shown their true colours in response, with an increase of more than 55 per cent to visits to the finalist webpages on www.artgallerynsw.com.au.   

Self-guided online tours allow viewers to gain valuable insights into the works through clickable hotspot features. Over recent months, the At Home series has received more than 140,000 video views through organic social and more than 180,000 total page views on their website. 

One of the most powerful ways social media has collided with the art world has been through the AGNSW's art history meme series, utilising timeless artworks to tap into the many and varied moods of current life. “We get consistent feedback on how the memes lift people's spirits,” says Carroll. “At the same time, we're building new audiences and sharing great artworks with the community.” 

As a result of all the new digital content on social channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, the gallery's online audience has gained 13,500 new followers – an increase of 75 per cent in just two months.  

The Kids at Home portal offers families ways to make art at home, and art-making packs were in big demand during the recent school holidays.  

Carroll believes the challenges of the pandemic will be looked back on as a time of valuable lessons. “Connection and collaboration have never been more important,” she says. “Reach out to your networks – you can find ideas, camaraderie and support in unexpected places.” 

artgallery.nsw.gov.au  
Facebook: @ArtGalleryofNSW 
Instagram: @ArtGalleryofNSW 
Twitter: @ArtGalleryofNSW 
Hashtags #ArtGalleryNSW / #ArtGalleryAtHome 

For more information on things to see and do in Sydney go to www.sydney.com 

Share your favourite holidays in Sydney and NSW on social media using @sydney #ilovesydney @visitnsw #lovensw. 

The NSW Government via Destination NSW is sharing a series of NSW Success Stories – businesses of all types that have adapted their offerings to face the current environment and continue serving their community with a fresh approach and shining success. These innovative initiatives are nothing short of inspiring. 

--

Note to editors:

Find this article, accompanied by additional downloadable images, (for registered Media Centre users) on the Destination NSW Media Centre.

There's so much going on across Sydney and New South Wales. For access to the latest news and to be kept up to date, register now with the Destination NSW Media Centre media.destinationnsw.com.