For their 4th Slow Art Day, the TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville, Australia, organized an interactive mindful workshop where visitors could enjoy the art of relaxation while observing and appreciating art.
The museum’s Learning & Engagement team guided a small group of participants through a 1.5 hour interactive workshop that was comprised of mindful techniques such as automatic journaling, body awareness, breathing and visualizations. The goal was to deepen their connection with their lived experiences and with their relationship with the art on display.
Participant engaging in slow looking. Image Credits: Tourism Australia.
We are happy to see that mindfulness and meditation continue to be a growing part of the global slow looking toolkit.
And given that we are big fans of TarraWarra here at Slow Art Day HQ, we are eager to see what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
P.S. Stay up to date with events at TarraWarra Museum through Instagram and Facebook
For this year’s Slow Art Day, the project ConectArte.Gestalt hosted 2 events across the city of Barcelona, Spain – one at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) and the other at La Virreina. Both events had a Gestalt therapy approach and were led by Gestalt therapist and curator-producer Maribel Perpiñá de Lama.
In this report, we’ll focus on the event at MACBA led by Perpiñá de Lama and focused on five artworks by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané from the exhibition “A leaf in the place of the eye”:
Systemic Grid 126 (Window) (2015)
La Pensée Férale (2020). These are seven photographs taken in the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most biodiverse and endangered rainforests in the world.
Breathing Lines (2020/2023)
Landscape of Possibilities (2016/2023)
Orange Oranges (2001)
The exhibition explores themes of impermanence, collective emotions, perception, fragility, time and space.
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Systemic Grid 126 (Window), 2020Landscape of Possibilities (2016/2023) and Breathing Lines (2020/2023)Poster.
During the session, Perpiñá de Lama invited participants to slowly observe the artworks using nine principles from Claudio Naranjo‘s Gestalt approach:
Live now, worry about the present.
Live here, relate more to the present than what is absent.
Stop imagining, experience what is real.
Abandon unnecessary thoughts. Feel and observe instead.
Express rather than manipulate, explain, justify or judge.
Experience displeasure and pain as well as pleasure. Do not restrict your awareness.
Do not accept any “should” or “would have” more than your own.
Take full responsibility for your actions, feelings and thoughts.
Accept yourself as you are.
The event was successful, and several participants left positive feedback:
“This workshop was a very eye-opening experience for me. I had never reflected so much on my own shadow and how it affects my daily life. The artwork really helped me to connect with aspects of myself that I normally avoid.”
“I was amazed at how powerful art can be in exploring how we are in the present moment. Seeing the images and then sharing my reflections with the group really made me feel more connected to myself and others.”
“This workshop made me realize how much we have internalized our shadow and how they influence our decisions and relationships. It was a reminder of the importance of confronting those parts of ourselves in order to grow and heal.”
“The combination of the images in the exhibit and the group reflections was very impactful. I felt very supported by the group to explore and openly share my thoughts and feelings.”
At Slow Art Day HQ we appreciate the innovative work ConnectArte.Gestalt and Maribel Perpiñá de Lama are doing and look forward to what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
For their 4th Slow Art Day, Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, Ireland, led participants in mindfulness practices and slow looking at works featured in their exhibition “Adrift.”
Petrina Shortt, Public Engagement Assistant, ran a lovely meditation-guided slow looking session.
In case other museums want to copy her design, here’s what she did:
Introductions She opened the session with a brief introduction to Slow Art Day, its origins, and what to expect from the slow looking. She then led the group through a round of introductions, and reinforced that the event was not a guided tour, but a moment for each participant to spend directly with art in a relaxing and curious manner.
Breathing/mindfulness practice Petrina then led participants through a short mindfulness breathing practice, asking them to breathe in for a count of four, holding their breath for a count of 5, and releasing their breath for a count of 6. They told them they could do this with their eyes closed or while looking at the featured artwork “Memorandum for Humanity.”
Slow Looking Next she asked them to slowly look at the art, observing without trying too hard to interpret, and instead, focusing on elements in the work: forms, shapes, lines, marks, colors and textures. She also suggested they notice how their eyes moved around the work and where they rested, and encouraged them to continue to focus on their breathing – especially if their minds began to drift away from the work.
Shared observations After eight minutes of slow looking, Petrina asked participants to share their experiences. Most remarked that even though they had seen the work before, they noticed a lot more within the piece after looking slowly at it. All participants commented on how relaxed they felt. They were then invited to explore one or two other artworks in the space for 10 minutes, and reconvene to discuss their observations.
Participants looking slowly at “Chrysalis.”
The group then moved to a second gallery where floor mats, cushions, fruit bowls and water had been arranged across the room. All were invited to sit or lie on the mats and cushions, or take a seat on a chair and close their eyes. During this half of the event, Petrina led the group in a mindfulness meditation which included focused slow breathing and releasing tension. They were then asked to open their eyes and practice slow looking at the large ink drawing on the wall entitled “Chrysalis,” and then to move around the room and look at one more artwork of their choosing.
After the session, all participants were eager to share their observations about the artworks. Some spoke of personal connections that they found, and others spoke of links they made between other artworks that they hadn’t noticed at first. All participants commented on how much they enjoyed the session and would like to attend more Slow Looking events.
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love this design for Slow Art Day. While participants were offered information sheets about the art after the event, the focus was on building a personal relationship with the works and discovering how each other sees. This is exactly what we hope Slow Art Day will continue to cultivate – personal relationships with art and with art lovers across the world.
We can’t wait to see what the West Cork Arts Centre comes up with for their 5th Slow Art Day in 2025.
-Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, and Phyl
P.S. Stay up to date with events at the West Cork Arts Centre via their Facebook, Twitter (X) and Instagram pages.
For their sixth consecutive Slow Art Day, MOMus-Museum of Photography in Thessaloniki, Greece, hosted yoga and slow looking with a focus on the photography of the Greek photographer Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (1899 – 1998), also known as “Nelly,” or by her studio stamp name “Nelly’s.”
Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari is best known for her photos of Greece between the First and Second World Wars, which shaped the Western imagination of that country. After the outbreak of World War II, she lived in the US where she continued her photography before eventually returning to Greece.
For the Slow Art Day event, photographer and certified yoga teacher, Ioanna Fotiadou, first led participants in a short yoga practice aimed at all levels of experience. She guided them to move slowly and remain in the yoga positions while focusing on the present moment.
Slow Art Day Yoga session at MOMus
This was followed by a slow viewing of selected works from the exhibition, which participants observed for 10 minutes each. At the end of the session, they discussed their experience with the museum curators while drinking coffee and enjoying views of the sea.
Participants looking slowly at photography in the exhibition.Group discussion for Slow Art Day.
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love that yoga, mediation, and mindfulness continue to be a part of our movement – such as the one held at the Swedish National Museum in 2023 or in Ireland in 2024 at West Cork Arts Center.
We also love the passionate participation of MOMus Thessaloniki in Slow Art Day and look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2025.
-Johanna, Ashley, Phyl, Jessica Jane
P.S. Stay up to day with events at MOMus Thessaloniki via Facebook and Instagram.
This year the B&E Goulandris Foundation in Athens became the first museum in the Greek capital to host a Slow Art Day event.
The Foundation’s Slow Art Day included more than 200 visitors who looked slowly at these four artworks from their permanent collection:
“Caparisoned horse”, a funerary figurine from China’s Tang Dynasty (8th century)
“The Red Fish” by A.R. Penck on the second floor
“Large Study in Cadmium Red” by George Rorris on the third floor
“London Cityscape Piccadilly Circus I” by Chryssa on the fourth floor
The Red Fish by A. R. Penck, 1982 – one of four artworks chosen for Slow Art Day.
Visitors were invited to take a leaflet with slow looking prompts for their session, and were encouraged to keep it for their next visit. Facilitators also encouraged all visitors to discuss their Slow Art Day experiences with friends as well as to share on social media, using the hashtag #SlowArtDay.
Separately, The Foundation also co-hosted two mindfulness sessions with art historian, educator and mindfulness instructor Lydia Petropoulou.
Those sessions focused on Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s work “Ninety-nine Heads”, with the first session being for both adults and children aged 7+, while the second one was for adults only.
99 Heads by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1952.
The mindfulness sessions, they said, aimed to help participants become active, conscious viewers, encouraging them to draw information from what they see and feel instead of what they already know.
The B&E Goulandris Foundation submitted over 100 photos from their event for this report, which capture the beauty of slow looking at a range of the museum’s collection (we have included a few of those photos below our signature line).
We can’t wait to see what the B&E Goulandris Foundation comes up with for Slow Art Day 2025!
Image: Lobsang Drubjam Tsering. Medicine Buddha Palace (Copy of first painting from the set of the Tibetan Medical Paintings from Mentsikhang Lhasa) Rebgong county, Qinghai Province, China; 2012-2013 Pigments on cloth. Rubin Museum of Art. SC2013.6
Slow looking workshop in Lehigh University Galleries with Dr. Kristin Baxter, 2023.
On April 15, participants were first led by teaching artist, Dr. Kristin Baxter in meditation and grounding exercises. They then spent some time looking slowly at a thangka painting of the Medicine Buddha on display as part of the exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art (pictured above). Following their experience in the gallery, everyone was invited to create their own mindfulness journal to take home.
LUAG also posted short videos on social media to encourage individuals to slow down and take time to view individual works of art, as well as on LUAG@Home – an online listing of resources on their website.
At Slow Art Day HQ we love that Lehigh partnered with the Shanthi Project to bring meditative practices to their event. Meditation and slow looking are closely intwined as demonstrated by what the Rubin Museum of Art, the Phoenix Museum of Art and others have done since the beginning of our movement.
We look forward to whatever Lehigh University Art Galleries come up with for Slow Art Day 2024.
This year Galleri Pictor and Munka folkhogskola (a Swedish folk high school and adult education center) hosted Slow Art events several times during the year: once in April for Slow Art Day, and three times during the summer for art students taking summer courses at the center. The slow looking sessions all took place at Galleri Pictor and each session focused on a single artwork – Clara Lundgren’s “Det var här” (“It was here”).
Clara Lundgren (undated). “Det var här” (It was here). Acrylic on canvas. 69×82 cm. This artwork was used for the slow looking sessions at Galleri Pictor.
Arriving participants were welcomed and given a worksheet (in Swedish) containing instructions for eye palming along with slow looking prompts.
These instructions have been translated into English below:
— Materials: Artwork, Worksheets and Timer —
1) Eye Palming is a technique to relax the muscles around the eyes. Warm your hands by rubbing them together for a few seconds. Close your eyes and press your palms lightly against your cheeks, then cup your fingers over your eyes and eyebrows. Breathe slowly and deeply for three minutes.
2) Open your eyes slowly and look at the artwork with the same focus you had on your breathing. – What do you notice? – What colors, compositions, shapes and materials do you see? – Does the artwork remind you of an event in your life? – Do you think others notice the same thing as you? If your mind wanders, try to focus again on the image. Look at the artwork for 10 minutes.
3) Relax again. Take a few deep breaths and notice any further thoughts you have about the artwork.
4) Write down reflections on the worksheet. Do this for 10 minutes.
5) Finally, we reflect together on our experiences of the image and how it felt to do the activity.
During the slow looking session Charlotte Fällman Gleissner, art expert and teacher at Munka Folkhögskola, kept track of the time transitions using a timer.
For the closing group reflection, Galleri Pictor repeated their successful concept from last year of sharing tea and biscuits together while participants discussed their slow looking session. Some of the reflections from this section of the event are included on the Pictor Gallery blog (in Swedish).
We love the focus on a single art work (the original idea for Slow Art Day was to spend one hour with a single artwork).
We can’t wait to see what Galleri Pictor and Munka folkhögskola come up with for Slow Art Day 2024 – and throughout the year. We also hope that future events include tea and biscuits, especially if they save some for us!
For their fourth Slow Art Day, the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, Ireland – a gallery dedicated to contemporary Irish and international art – invited visitors to slow down and connect with artwork from their collection as part of a focused tour and mindfulness event.
Mindfulness practitioner Dee Hennessy started the event by leading a guided meditation.
Then Jean Mann, Assistant Learning and Public Engagement Curator, facilitated a slow looking session in one of the smaller collection galleries, a wing dedicated to the self-taught Irish painter, Tony O’Malley (see photos below).
Following the concentrated slow looking, Mann then led participants in a discussion about their responses to O’Malley’s art.
Tony O’Malley, Bahamas Obeah Sign, 1985 Acrylic, grit & needles on canvas 48” x 72”,122 x 183cm
Tony O’Malley, Bahamas Obeah Sign, 1985 Acrylic, grit & needles on canvas 48” x 72”,122 x 183cm
We at Slow Art Day HQ love slow looking at O’Malley’s work and look forward to what the Butler Gallery comes up with for 2024.
— Johanna, Ashley, Jessica Jane, Phyl
P.S. Follow The Butler Gallery on their social media: Instagram | Facebook | X
For their fourth Slow Art Day, the Open-Air Museum Europos Parkas, in Vilnius, Lithuania, organized a plein-air slow looking session with their participants.
Europos Parkas is a 55 hectare (136 acre) open-air museum situated in the center of Europe that began as a relaxing place in the forest where artists, sculptors, and people around the world could meet, and eventually transformed into an open-air museum with modern sculptures and landscape art.
Slow Art Day at Europos Parkas
On the 15th of April, participants where invited to slowly experience three different sculptures:
“Gintarė/electricity” by Evaldas Pauza (Lithuania)
“Conjuror” by Magdalena Abakanowicz (Poland)
“Space of Unknown Growth” by Magdalena Abakanowicz (Poland)
“Gintarė/electricity” by Evaldas Pauza
“Conjuror” by Magdalena Abakanowicz
“Space of Unknown Growth” by Magdalena Abakanowicz
Participants were encouraged to pay close attention to their breathing, all while taking note of the colors, sounds, and smells surrounding them – and even being blindfolded so they could focus on touch.
After the slow viewing, art facilitator Karen Vanhercke led a discussion encouraging participants to make mindful connections between themselves and the surrounding nature, art, and other participants. To make the event more inclusive, discussions were conducted in English with Lithuanian translation. Tea and biscuits were also served.
Participants engaging with sculptures and nature on Slow Art Day
At Slow Art Day HQ, we love the creativity of the Europos Parkas team and look forward to seeing what they come up with in 2024.
For their third Slow Art Day, the TarraWarra Museum of Art in Melbourne, Australia, invited the public to a mindful slow looking session and group reflection featuring work by David Noonan from the exhibition David Noonan: Only when it’s cloudless . The event was led by Sarah Metzner, museum educator at TarraWarra and a visual, collaborative, and public artist who has been working with different community groups for 30 years.
On Slow Art Day, participants followed a 20-20-20 ratio of time during the hour. They were first welcomed and then invited to look at David Noonan’s artwork “Only when it’s cloudless” for 20 minutes.
David Noonan: Only when it’s cloudless’, installation view, TarraWarra Museum of Art, 2022. Courtesy of the artist, Anna Schwartz Gallery, and Modern Art, London. Photo by Christian Capurro.
The group then spent 20 minutes slowly watching David Noonan’s 20 minute film: Mnemosyne, which has a focus on evoking memories (a link to the trailer is included in the picture below) before the session was rounded up with shared reflections for the final 20 minutes.
Note: We recommend you watch the trailer. We found it beautiful, eerie, and a little ominous.
Still from David Noonan’s 20 minute film: Mnemosyne.
The event was well received, with one participant saying that the experience “enhanced my love of art and mindfulness and reminded me to slow down and be present with myself and my practice.”
We look forward to what the TarraWarra Museum of Art comes up with for Slow Art Day 2023.
