The past few weeks haven’t brought us much in the way of great news, but friends, today is different. Because MONA (aka the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania) – although closed as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic –has announced that they will be live streaming their Tim exhibit for the duration of the shutdown. In true MONA style, the exhibit features the tattooed man’s back. Art, eh?

MONA officially entered coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday, March 18, in response to the Australian government’s gradually escalating restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19.

However, apparently you can’t stop #art, because one of their exhibits – the aforementioned, enigmatic Tim – will be sitting out the coronavirus pandemic in the museum. Oh, and he’ll also be live streaming his back. Naturally.

Tim (aka Tim Steiner) is actually a former tattoo-parlour manager from Zurich, with an elaborate tattoo on his back. The tattoo was designed by famous artist Wim Delvoye and sold to a German art collector in 2008 for more than $250,000 AUD.

As part of the deal, Tim spends his days sitting in galleries so people can admire the work of art on his back. While Tim prefers to be identified as art, rather than artist, MONA have noted that it was his choice to remain on display during the coronavirus lockdown, as a powerful statement during dark times.

Since 2011, Tim has been on display at MONA for over 3,500 hours. And while he’s occasionally absent from the live stream for bathroom breaks, we feel that just adds a touch of verisimilitude that makes this exhibit all the more watchable.

Tim joins a growing list of virtual travel experiences, including virtual museum tours, virtual national park tours and virtual beach walks, which self-isolatees and those practising social distancing can enjoy from the comfort of their lounge rooms.

You can tune in for your daily dose of Tim, live from 10am–4.30pm AEDT daily on the Mona site here or alternatively, if you prefer, you can also watch on Youtube.