KOCHI: The pandemic, which terrified the whole world, did not frighten Kollam native and art curator Jesno Jackson. When Covid brought her artistic endeavours to a temporary halt, Jesno and her husband Rengi Cherian, both of whom have been settled in Dubai for almost 10 years, started exploring three-dimensional virtual art exhibitions.
Through her gallery Art4you, Jesno organised a virtual art exhibition last year April, which she claims is one of the first virtual expos to be ever held in the history of UAE. “The pandemic left us in uncertainty. The virtual exhibition was a way for us to tell the world that despite the pandemic, our spirits are high. Other art galleries in UAE also followed our path. It was an open call and artists from all over the world applied in a multitude of mediums including photography, original art and digital art. In 2020, we conducted around 15 such virtual art events where featured cubism, abstract works and held several art competitions,” she says.
But putting together such a movement, when the global economy was rapidly crashing was not an easy task. She tried to curate out of box themes for the artists she worked with. She combined changes in consumer trends in art curation. “I came with promising themes for artists who went idle during the pandemic and gave them an option to explore the digital medium. I empowered and motivated them to be a part of the venture instead of fretting about the Covid situation,” she says.
Apart from conducting and curating art exhibitions, she also focused on strengthening artists’ mental well-being by conducting live art shows and solo art exhibitions. Jesno has plans to launch an art gallery in Kerala too. “After the pandemic, I wish to conduct art fairs to help the hidden talents emerge,”she says.