As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” And the same can be said for artwork. Do you have employees who are constantly creating “art” out of everyday office supplies? While it may be eating into your budget, it’s also helping your employees nurture their creative talents and could potentially earn them a spot in a new online gallery that’s specifically for … office art!
Culture.pl, an international website specializing in Polish cultural events, has launched a new online gallery showcasing everyday office art from around the world. International Office Art Biennale (IOAB) is an interactive social platform “aimed at sharing observations and phenomena within contemporary office spaces and provoking discussion on the labour conditions and its artifacts.”
IOAB’s intent is to show how other people work. IOAB’s website states, “Our idea of how other people work is based on perceptions and stereotypes about office space; we see piles of documents, meetings, and breaks. But do we really know what modern offices are and what they look like?” The IOAB aims at creating a digital database of office artists.
Anyone can submit his or her creations to the website, and art is not limited to just paintings and sculptures. The website specifically asks artists to “submit your work, your creation, a record of your professional activity, a sculpture, a drawing, a photograph, or a video.” It’s no holds barred when it comes to “art!”
A quick glance at the IOAB website shows anything can really be considered art! From the paper clip .gif at the bottom of the page to a cat sleeping on a desk—as long as it’s “work-related,” it’s art! The website even allows you to name your “art.” For instance, the piece called “No, I’m Listening” is a doodle of a woman featured on what can be assumed is a company handout. There’s also “Searching for kittens gifs—one of the funniest task[s] at work I ever have had,” which features … you guessed it … a picture of a computer screen loaded with kittens.
While HRSBT does not condone goofing off at work, even for the sake of art, it does make you wonder who’s the office Picasso!