Digital technology and a floating museum bring contemporary art and culture to the people

A new foundation pursues initiatives that make art accessible to diverse communities

Spotted: The impact of digital technologies on the world of art has been nothing short of transformative. From online platforms that make it easier for amateur artists to connect with their audience, to virtual tours that allow us to experience historical works up close, technology has completely redefined how we interact with, understand, and appreciate art in all its forms.

Perhaps no organisation embodies this shift better than Art Explora, a cutting-edge initiative that is shaking up the art world by making contemporary art accessible to everyone. The French foundation was created in November 2019 by entrepreneur Frédéric Jousset. Its mission is to reduce the cultural divide by bringing works of art to new, large, and diverse audiences.

Art Explora has developed a groundbreaking digital art history platform in collaboration with Sorbonne Université. This cutting-edge platform is designed to be accessible to users around the globe and offers intuitive interfaces that make it easy for anyone to explore art from all periods and styles. Through its unique journeys of discovery—which range from ancient Egyptian art to contemporary works—users of Art Explora are able to explore a wide variety of artistic styles and techniques in an engaging and interactive way. And by testing their knowledge through a series of quizzes and challenges, users can earn a valuable certificate that shows their level of expertise.

Another recent initiative from Art Explora is a new mobile museum, which has been christened the ‘MuMo’ and is a joint effort between Art Explora, the Centre Pompidou, and the MuMo Foundation. The truck will tour France in 2022 and Europe in 2023, bringing two themed annual exhibitions to each location. The exhibitions will be curated from the collections of the Centre Pompidou, as well as from other major European institutions. The MuMo will also host educational programs and workshops for children and adults alike. This unique opportunity to experience art from around the world will be an invaluable addition to the cultural landscape.

Art Explora also plans to bring art to the waves by converting one of the world’s largest catamarans into a mobile digital art museum. The floating museum is due to set sail from Marseille for various locations in the Mediterranean basin in September 2023.

Other Art Explora initiatives include the installation of ‘short story dispensers’ at the Armand Trousseau Children’s Hospital, and a residency programme enabling artists and researchers to carry out research and creation work in the heart of one of the most iconic and vibrant districts of Paris.

Other recent art and culture innovations spotted by Springwise include an online storytelling platform for female and under-represented filmmakers, an AR art exhibition embedded in the London landscape, and remote art tours via robots.