The pandemic has affected our way of life. And even though we are no longer confined to our homes, working from home is becoming commonplace. What kind of environment do we work and rest in? I would like it to be in an inspiring one. More than 3 studies conducted by the World Health Organization in Europe before the pandemic speak about the impact of art on performance, mood, and emotions. How to choose the right piece of art for the home? One that would not only evoke positive emotions, but would also be valuable and fit into the interior?
"Homes reflect a person's taste, beauty, perception of space and the whole world," says interior designer, founder of "Very good architecture company", architect of the international contemporary art fair "ArtVilnius" Olga Voišnis. Every year, after the art fair ends, new works of art appear in the homes of its patrons. This year, the architecture of the "ArtVilnius'22" fair was created by O. Voišnis with his colleague Raminta Vitkūnes. Architects will traditionally invite visitors to the fair to meet the artists and choose a work of art.
It is difficult for architects to imagine a work and home environment without art. When designing spaces, they always provide space for works of art. "There are no specific rules," says O. Voišnis, "sometimes we combine works of art with an already created space, and sometimes we create spaces thinking about certain works of art." There have been times when art collectors have asked to create a space for their collection. In this case, it is the works of art that determine the architectural and lighting solutions, and before starting the work, we first familiarize ourselves with the collection, only then do we collect the finishing materials. They should not compete with works of art, but together create one, special whole."
The architects are convinced that a home with a lot of art does not necessarily have to resemble a gallery and its white walls. "We are not afraid of colors, different materials, patterns, we always choose backgrounds based on the artwork," says architect and interior designer R. Vitkūnė.
It often happens that a person who unconditionally trusts architects who design houses asks them to assemble the first home art collection. "Of course, we like this approach," says O. Voišnis. "There are clients who want us to create their homes down to the smallest detail."
After the previous ArtVilnius art fairs, the interiors created by O. Voišnis and R. Vitkūnė featured the works of Rūta Katiliūtė, Kristina Norvilaitė, Pauliaus Šliaupa and other artists. "You need to think carefully about how to combine the new works with the existing ones, to group them according to stylistics, colors, art trends, artists," says O. Voišnis.
Architects say that works of art must find their right place and lighting in the space. A home art collection can look one way in a large house and quite another in an apartment space. "The cleaner, more neutral the space, the more light and height it has, the more opportunities to choose works of art that would connect the interior into a common whole," says R. Vitkūnė and adds that sometimes customers want to choose works of art for the home themselves, and sometimes completely trusts the architects who create the interior.
And what to do with works of art that, when moved to a new home, seem completely unsuitable for the space? "You can find a place for works of art in every space," architect O. Voišnis is convinced. "You just have to decide whether you want to combine art with space or space with art."
ArtVilnius art fair architects O. Voišnis and R. Vitkūnė advise what you should know when exhibiting works of art at home
Natural and artificial lighting. Good lighting focuses attention on the work of art, it becomes clearly visible, highlights the silhouette, color, texture. Properly selected lighting emphasizes the most important features and concept of the work of art.
Space. A clean, uncluttered space and a suitable distance to observe the work is important for displaying art. The larger the work of art, the greater the distance should be. If the format is small, the piece can be perfect for a corridor or a small room.
Composition. With art, more is less, so it's important to leave space between artworks and pay attention to how they fit together. If there are many works of art, but the space to display them is small, then we recommend that you think about the principle of changing exposure. Works in the same space can be exchanged.
Appropriate exposure height. If the height of the room is standard, the center of the artwork should be at eye level. If the ceiling is high, the exposure can be higher, maintaining the proportion of the space.
Art in different living spaces. Of course, it can be very individual, but works with calmer shades and themes would be more suitable for bedrooms and study rooms. Playful, brighter colors - in children's rooms. The living room is the place where most people spend most of their time, so the artwork here should reflect the personality of the owner.
Clean background. Art doesn't always need a white background. A well-chosen wall color can complement the artwork. It is important that there is no visual noise around and no details competing with the art.
Art format. The shape of the walls or room often dictates the format of the artwork for the space - horizontal, vertical or a composition of several smaller-format artworks.
Sculptures and objects. Larger empty spaces or free corners in the house are required to display bulky objects. It is important to take care of neutral furniture for the exposition of smaller objects. Depending on the characteristics of the work of art - color, shape, material, these pieces of furniture should be selected and combined according to the specific work. In order to better highlight the character of the sculpture, it is necessary to think about the lighting. It can be a spotlight directed at the object or a soft, diffused stream of even light. Natural lighting also helps reveal an unexpected angle of the art object, the play of light and shadow.
Exhibition of paintings. Paintings are perfect for decorating the empty walls of the house, but a specialist who knows about works of art in advance can offer unexpected solutions when designing living spaces - works of art can be integrated in niches or composed with compositions of various finishing materials.
Home is a gallery. When designing individual houses and taking into account the available art collection, it is possible to provide spaces for their exhibition. It can be a gallery-like corridor. Natural and artificial lighting would enliven the transit space and give it the additional function of a gallery.
The 13th international contemporary art fair "ArtVilnius'22" will be held on October 7-9. "Litexpo". The theme of "ArtVilnius'22" is ecology, paying special attention to the genres of installation and sculpture. Fair guest - Ukraine, whose artists' work will be presented in various segments of the program.
