Surviving the Return to Office: An Artistic Survival Guide

The article, published on exibart.com, humorously addresses the post-holiday return to the office, framing it as a form of 'office jet lag.' It draws parallels between the emotional state of returning workers and various contemporary artworks. The piece references Tracey Emin's 'My Bed' (1998) to describe those still mentally on vacation, and Andreas Gursky's 'Rimini' (2003) for colleagues nostalgic for the beach. It also mentions Robert Ryman's white paintings as a metaphor for the new agenda of the organized, and Hanne Darboven's 'Cultural History' for those who meticulously sort emails. The article suggests coping strategies inspired by art: embracing Marina Abramović's 'The Artist Is Present' for passive resistance, accepting fading tans like Urs Fischer's melting wax sculptures, accumulating desk souvenirs à la Arman, taking coffee breaks as conceptual acts à la Piero Manzoni's 'Fiato d'artista' (1960), and mentally reacting to absurd meetings with Maurizio Cattelan's 'L.O.V.E.' (2010). The piece is a lighthearted guide for surviving the return to work, ending with a note that the next week will bring the collective trauma of schools reopening.