Bored in Self-Isolation, a London Couple Built a Tiny Museum for Their Gerbils, Complete With Rodent Van Goghs and Vermeers

The art offerings available on the internet have blossomed over
the past few weeks, but the most delightful one may just be the new
art museum for gerbils designed by a UK couple.

The gerbils, Pandoro and Tiramisu—each named an Italian
dessert—belong to Filippo Lorenzin, an independent curator who
works at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, and
artist Marianna Benetti. On
their 14th day in lockdown, the London-based couple spent about
four hours crafting the miniature institution, all for the
enjoyment of their nine-month-old pets. (Or possibly out of
isolation-induced boredom.)

“The original idea was for a doll house,” Benetti told Artnet
News. “We used cardboard, paper, and wood, ensuring that all the
materials were safe for the gerbils.”

From what we can glean from the photo evidence, the gerbils were
thrilled with their first museum-going experience, taking the
opportunity to get up close and personal with the artwork—but
ignoring signs that prohibit chewing.

The tiny museum gallery features adorable rodent-themed versions
of famous artworks in tiny cardboard frames, including Gustav
Klimt’s The Kiss, Johannes Vermeer’s The Girl With the
Pearl Earring, and Edvard Munch’s The Scream.
The pitch perfect art parodies, which are Benetti’s handiwork,
grace the walls of a white cube space, replete with viewing
benches, helpful museum literature for the taking, and wall labels
featuring QR codes.

As promised, this is the full video of our gerbils
visiting the museum. No gerbils or gallery assistants were harmed
in the making of this. from r/aww

After Pandoro and Tiramisu were set loose to explore, the couple
captured the adorable museum visit on camera, sharing the footage
on Reddit and assuring the public that “no gerbils or gallery
assistants were harmed in the making of this.”

The clever project quickly went viral, but reports indicate that
the gerbils haven’t let their new fame—or art education—go to their
head. As for the museum’s founders, they are considering adding to
their gerbil art collection soon. “The Reddit community gave us
lots of new ideas,” said Benetti.

See more photos of the gerbil art museum below.

The post Bored in Self-Isolation, a London Couple Built a
Tiny Museum for Their Gerbils, Complete With Rodent Van Goghs and
Vermeers appeared first on artnet News.