Question Art

How it works

If this sounds interesting, join us.

We've started with a growing catalog of paintings and sculptures as well as a large collection of public artworks from around the world. Instead of quickly scrolling past them, give each one a few seconds of your attention.

This isn't about simply liking or disliking an artwork. It's about noticing what you find—or don't find—in it. Does it strike a chord? Feel boring or repetitive? Something seems off, unnecessary, or doubtful? Does it feel fresh and inspiring, bold and moving, raw or unfinished? Is it trying to say something, sell something, or simply show off an artist's skill or cleverness?

If an artwork gives you something to think about, tap "What's your take?" and share your observation as a short question or statement. Your post will be reviewed before it is published, and once it's up, others can agree, disagree, or respond in their own words.

You can also add artworks you encounter yourself—at a museum or gallery, in a public space, or online. Just upload the image and add a few basic details about the work. Then say what strikes you in the work, and submit. New posts are usually reviewed quickly, and your post will immediately go live as soon as approved.

Where this fits

Erisava sits in a gap that's mostly gone unfilled. Academic and professional art discourse speaks in a register most people don't have and don't especially want. Opinionated forums and threads are largely the turf of critics. Social media flattens a real encounter down to a single silent tap. Occasional museum surveys ask about the visit, not the individual work. Gallery guestbooks, where they exist, are rarely public, mostly one-way, and tend toward the flattering. And the museum or gallery itself — where you meet the work in person — keeps no record of that meeting beyond a ticket sold and a name on the visitor count.

Erisava is a place for what nobody else is really capturing: your own plain, first-hand experience standing in front of the work. We invite you to pause for a moment and consider what's in front of you — whether you like it, find it interesting, or don't know what to make of it at all.

Why "Erisava"

That's where the name comes from too: it joins Eris, the Greek goddess of discord, with ava, the Persian word for voice. Eris wasn't invited to the divine party, but she dropped by anyway. For us, it's a reminder to make room for the audience — for their impressions, questions, doubts, thoughts, casual remarks, and different ways of seeing. It's simply about making it easy and comfortable to take one step beyond I like it / I don't — and say what you actually see.

It goes both ways

Simple, direct language is encouraged here — a plain question or a one-line gut reaction works better than one that's more polished but less to the point. Ask whatever comes to mind, even standing in front of something grand, mysterious, or overwhelming, without worrying it'll make you look foolish. It's often a genuinely fun exercise too — sizing up a piece on your own terms, then seeing how everyone else reacted to that very same work: who agreed, who saw something completely different, who found it funny for reasons you hadn't even considered.

What's more, artists and art professionals get something they rarely see for themselves: what today's audience actually makes of art, old and new alike — not filtered through a critic, a curator, or a survey question about the visit.