Tag Archives: female artist

Slow Art and Perception at Pitzhanger in London

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For Slow Art Day 2025, Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in London, England collaborated with Dr. Aleksandra (Sasha) Igdalova, an expert in the psychology of art perception, to host both a self-guided and facilitated slow looking experience centered on the exhibition Alison Watt: From Light.

This marked Pitzhanger’s second slow looking session with Dr. Igdalova, following an earlier event in March. The afternoon workshop brought together attendees of varied ages, many of whom were new to slow looking. Dr. Igdalova opened the session by introducing the research behind slow observation and outlining how careful, sustained attention can transform understanding and support mindfulness. She then guided participants through a 15-minute group slow look at a selected painting, using structured prompts to direct attention and encourage reflection. Between artworks, the group engaged in discussion, with participants increasingly opening up as the session progressed.

The featured exhibition, Alison Watt: From Light, provided a powerful context for the practice. Participants also spent extended time with other works including Peale and The Day After, discovering nuances that many said they would have otherwise overlooked.

Alison Watt: From Light, exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery. Photo credit: Andy Stagg, 2025.
Alison Watt: From Light, exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery. Photo credit: Andy Stagg, 2025.
Alison Watt, Peale.
Alison Watt, The Day After

According to post-session surveys, 96.67% of participants said they were extremely or very likely to try slow looking again.

Comments from the survey include:

“I experienced a deeper admiration and emotional connection with work I would have otherwise overlooked.”
“No one usually asks me what I think. I liked that.”
“I felt serene and calm. I felt unified with strangers and that was rewarding.”
“The calm and patience to look more deeply at each painting. This transformed the whole experience for me.”

These reflections capture why Slow Art Day matters — our favorite is the one about how no one usually asks them what they think. Yes! In this world of extreme inequality, creating a space where every voice is invited and valued matters.

Slow Art Day at Pitzhanger 2025. Photo credit: Jamila Robson.
Slow Art Day at Pitzhanger 2025. Photo credit: Jamila Robson.

In parallel with the workshop, Dr. Igdalova developed a Self-Guided Slow Looking Guide (below) in collaboration with Pitzhanger Report for Slow Art Day. The guide is now permanently available in the gallery, inviting visitors to pause and reconsider their viewing habits. Staff observed that many visitors who initially spent only seconds per artwork stopped when encountering the guide, reflected on their pace, and chose to engage more deliberately. Some photographed the guide; others took copies home.

Slow Looking PDFDownload

To promote the event, Pitzhanger’s communications team produced an Instagram reel featuring Dr. Igdalova’s recorded slow looking prompt layered over exhibition imagery, extending the practice beyond the gallery walls.

We thank Dr. Aleksandra Igdalova and the team at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery for integrating research, facilitation, and accessible tools into a thoughtful Slow Art Day experience. We look forward to seeing what they come up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. You can follow Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Slow Art Club Visits De Iorio Collection in Verona

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To celebrate Slow Art Day 2025, the Slow Art Club in Italy organized a special visit to the De Iorio Collection in Verona — one of the largest private contemporary art collections in Italy, with more than 700 works by artists from around the world.

The collection is displayed across several exhibition venues, including a striking former sawmill in Verona that has been thoughtfully renovated by the collector, Mauro De Iorio. The visit was reserved exclusively for the Slow Art Club.

The event began with a presentation by De Iorio, who spoke passionately about his motivations for collecting. He shared that his primary criterion when selecting artworks is their emotional impact, along with a shared interest with artists in social and psychological themes — an approach that closely aligns with the ethos of Slow Art Day, which centers on deep, intentional engagement with art.

Mauro De Iorio talks with Slow Art Day participants

Following the introduction, the experience unfolded in two parts: first, individual slow observation of selected artworks; then small-group discussions where attendees shared reflections and insights. The works chosen for the Slow Art experience were all created by female artists and reflected the collector’s personal interests.

Here are some of the artworks they slowly viewed:

Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Full Fathom Thy Father Lies nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer
a seachange, into something rich and strange, 2023, oil on linen and mixed media.
Miriam Cahn, o.t. 17.8.13, 2013, oil on canvas
Danica Lundy, I like the boys and the boys like me, 2023, oil on canvas
Xinyi Cheng, Incroyable (Monroe), 2019, oil on canvas

As is tradition, the group concluded the Slow Art event with a lovely lunch shared by all.

The Slow Art Club in Rovereto, Italy, founded by Piero Consolati, promotes slow-looking with events at different museums and collections across Italy.

Piero tells us that news about the Slow Art Club continues to spread far and wide across Italy and that, for example, one new member traveled 500 kilometers to participate in the 2025 event.

At Slow Art Day HQ, we celebrate the Slow Art Club of Italy, hope more Slow Art Clubs spring up around the world, and look forward to seeing what Piero Consolati and the club comes up with for Slow Art Day 2026.

— Jessica Jane, Ashley and Phyl

Slow Art Day at the Boston Athenaeum: Honoring Allan Rohan Crite and Polly Thayer Star

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For their second year participating in Slow Art Day, the Boston Athenaeum hosted a full day of slow looking and community reflection centered around the works of Boston artists Allan Rohan Crite (1910 – 2007) and Polly Thayer Starr (1904 – 2006).

Visitors were invited to explore the Athenaeum’s first floor galleries freely throughout the day or join one of four scheduled guided sessions at 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm (a family session), and 3 pm. Each session began with 10 minutes of slow, close looking at a selected work, followed by a docent-led conversation encouraging participants to share their observations and experiences.

Featured works included:

Visitors participating in a slow looking session inside the historic Boston Athenaeum during Slow Art Day 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Athenaeum)

Self-guided visitors were encouraged to select their own piece of art and use a printed Slow Art Day handout (below) featuring guiding questions for deeper reflection.

Slow Art Day handout (3)Download
Screenshot of the Boston Athenaeum’s social media post for the event. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Athenaeum)

On the day, the United States witnessed the largest coordinated protest since President Trump’s return to office, and the Athenaeum provided a space for contemplation and connection. The choice to highlight the works of Crite, an African American artist, and Starr, a female artist, resonated deeply on a day when issues of representation, equity, and justice were at the forefront of national discourse.

We at Slow Art Day HQ extend our gratitude to the Boston Athenaeum, and to all Slow Art Day hosts, this year for providing a sanctuary for reflection and dialogue during a pivotal moment in the world’s political discourse.

We look forward to seeing what the Boston Athenaeum designs for 2026!

– Ashley, Johanna, Jessica Jane, and Phyl

P.S. You can follow the Boston Athenaeum on:

First Official Slow Art Day in Bordeaux

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On April 13th, Simone Raskin, art consultant and trainer at the Gallery L’Art de Regarder, organized the first official Slow Art Day in Bordeaux, sponsored by the Mairie de Bordeaux (the Bordeaux Town Hall) and hosted at the Espace Saint Rémi.

The Espace Saint Rémi was a church before the French Revolution and has over the centuries transformed into what is now a cultural center for exhibitions. Since 1991, the space has hosted a yearly photography exhibition titled Itinéraires des Photographes Voyageurs, which was created and organized by Nathalie Lamire-Fabre and Vincent Bengold as part of the first Mois de la Photo de Bordeaux (month of photography in Bordeaux).

The slow looking focused on the following 6 works from the photography exhibition:

  • Patrick Cockpit, “Pasaran, une dystopie franquiste” 
  • Lise Dua, “Les loyautés & Une vie”
  • Charlotte Auricombe, “Cau Del Llop” 
  • Benoît Capponi, “Toutes les heures blessent”
  • Sladjana Stankovic, “La Douce“
  • Thierry Girard, “The Tenjin Omuta Line” 
Photo credit: Simone Raskin

The Slow Art Day event was not promoted separately, so Simone greeted the 250+ visitors with an explanation of slow looking, and invited participants to sit in chairs that were arranged in front of the works. She provided them with the following prompts to guide their experience:

  • What’s going on in this picture?
  • What is it that attracts you in this particular photography?
  • What is the mood of the photo?
  • What are the colors? What do they evoke to you?
  • What is the composition of this photo?
  • If you were to say one word about this photo, what would it be?
  • Does it remind you of a painting, a souvenir, a memory, a personal experience?

Below are some of the works in the event:

“Pasaran, une dystopie franquiste” by Patrick Cockpit

“Les loyautés & Une vie” by Lise Dua

“Cau Del Llop” by Charlotte Auricombe

“La Douce“by Sladjana Stankovic

“The Tenjin Omuta Line” by Thierry Girard

Simone reported that many of the participants thanked her for the event, and they were quite appreciative for the prompts that she provided. Several mentioned that they would try slow looking at future museum visits.

At Slow Art Day HQ we are so glad to hear that the event was so well-received and look forward to whatever Simone Raskin, Mairie de Bordeaux, or Espace Saint Rémi plan for Slow Art Day 2025!

– Jessica Jane, Johanna, Ashley, and Phyl