The art world has got seriously socially conscious in the past year. Instagram is more important than a website, Clubhouse is the new Zoom and getting connected online is more important than ever before. So what about TikTok? Most often associated with Gen Z, it’s fast becoming a space to attract younger audiences for the art world. Also, it’s probably the funniest app. So, here’s some of our favourite accounts you should be following!
Digital entrepreneur and arts consultant Marie-Odile is a tiktok queen. She’s posted some particularly juicy clips about the Mona Lisa and how she’s faring at the Louvre amidst the pandemic. Super fun, she also takes us around Paris’s top galleries.
Artistcolette
Colette Bernard gained TikTok fame when she posted a video of herself carrying an artwork she made while a student at the Pratt Institute across New York City. The artwork in question comprised an oversized birth control package and instantly gained attention. Now she’s posting a series of videos called “Art History Tea”, where she talks about juicy art history moments and we kinda love it! That said, our personal favourite is a clip about the reality of going to art school. Can you relate?
Kelsey Landin is a sculptor with serious TikTok followers. Her videos show her working with clay, modelling everything from Vermeer’s girl with a pearl earring to Bernie Sanders at the US Presidential Inauguration. The perfect feed for any sculpture lover!
Umeboi
Umeboi is an art history buff shedding light on stories we don’t always see in our school art history books. Shedding light on everything from Yoruba sculptures to Hilma af Klint, he also tackles important topics like cultural appropriation. Basically, this art kid is definitely going to go places.
Clanderkin
Ever wanted to know how to make your own paint? Or tips for glazing your ceramics? Casey Landerkin is the girl for you! The artist is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to the technical aspects of producing your work, something that many keep close to their chest.
Olivia of Arthistoryminutes is the art history teacher you wish you’d had in college. Fun, inclusive and up-to-date, she’s commented on the time when pig bladders were used as vessels to hold paint, all the way up to conspiracy theories about Mona Lisa’s smile. The exact dose of quick art historical knowledge that you need!
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Mary McGillivray describes herself as an Australia TikToker and video essayist making visual culture analysis accessible for the next generation, and that’s precisely it! She says that art history is basically just old memes, and we love looking at the past with that mindset. Super fun, yet educational too! A personal favourite is a vid about sexism in the art market. “Have you ever noticed how at school art is for girls, but as soon as it becomes a profession, it’s a man’s job?” Well said, Mary!
Florence’s Uffizi galleries are some of the most famous and revered in the world. Founded in the sixteenth century, the first patrons probably never expected that it would become a smash hit on TikTok. Bringing some of the most stunning works of art to life with a big dose of humour, other museums better take note!
We’re on TikTok! Don’t just follow us on the gram, we’re here to make the art world a better place across all social media platforms!
Text Lizzy Vartanian
