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Art enquiries boom during lockdown, as redecorating and home comforts become priority

Natasha Arslean founder of Auc Art, pictured in her Nottinghill home. - Geoff Pugh /Geoff Pugh 
Natasha Arslean founder of Auc Art, pictured in her Nottinghill home. - Geoff Pugh /Geoff Pugh

Art enquiries have boomed during lockdown, an entrepreneur has revealed, as people become more interested in redecorating and investing in home comforts.

Natasha Arselan, founder and CEO of AucArt, an hybrid auction house and gallery which specialises in international emerging artists, said that traffic to her website has doubled during the pandemic.

Ms Arselan, 30, said that the lockdown period has enabled “people to rediscover and channel their creativity, both in terms of making art and appreciating it”.

She also revealed that traffic to her AucArt website, which was originally the UK’s first online auction house of its kind, has more than doubled from around 2,000 visitors a month, to 4,500 over the lockdown period.

Asked why the pandemic has sparked such an interest in art, Ms Arselan said: “It could be that people are looking more closely at their surroundings.

Sarah-Cunningham-Nights-2020-Oil-painting-on-fabriano-paper-32-cm-x-29-cm-2-1200x1115 - ./.
Sarah-Cunningham-Nights-2020-Oil-painting-on-fabriano-paper-32-cm-x-29-cm-2-1200x1115 - ./.

“Given the luxury of extra time, no longer needed to commute People have more time to think & discover both themselves, whether it's an interest, self reflection or a new hobbie. There's a lot of rhetoric around meaning, purpose, and self expression, not a surprise given we have all been confined when it comes to physical space.

“We’re spending so much time at home and are realising how important it is to be connected to ourselves, and the impact which our surroundings have on us. Home is becoming our workplace, university & children's school".

“As well as being an outlet for creativity, being comfortable in our homes is also so important for our wellbeing & mental health. Living around artwork that inspires me, adds so much to my everyday experience of life, there's a unique energy enmeshed in every work, it's quite magical, I never feel totally alone.”

Ms Arselan also said that the lockdown has enabled more people to discover that affordable art is accessible, with prices on AucArt ranging from £200 to £15,000.

“It's not just about the artwork in your home, it's also an investment into the artist's journey which also becomes part of your journey, following their progress while having a piece of their story on your wall,” she added.

"With the world in such a crisis It's also a great time to purchase, artists need funds more than ever with side jobs evaporating and creativity booming with so much chaos to report, an interesting time to be alive.”

Next month AucArt is running an ‘Artists Supporting Artists’ programme, with celebrities from the world of music, poetry and dance curating sales of emerging artists. The model and poet, Sonny Hall, singer-songwriter, Tom Odell, and ballet dancer, Julian Mackay, are headlining the programme.