Online gallery shows Christchurch art

Exhibbit.com allows art to be viewed in a 3D format. Photo / Supplied

Virtual Auckland-based gallery Exhibbit is working with Christchurch artists to help them promote their work through its website as they recover from the earthquake.

Art gallery The Arthouse and jewellery designer Deanna Gracie are featuring their work on Exhibbit's website for free (www.exhibbit.com/).

Business development manager Jason Catterall said many art galleries in Christchurch were centrally located, an area that suffered a lot of damage during February's earthquake.

He said Exhibbit wanted to help and the solution was obvious. "You can't knock a virtual gallery down. No matter how hard you try. We're in the position to help these people rebuild their lives and their businesses, and that's what they need.

"It's a testament to the people of Christchurch that they haven't all packed up and left. When I last spoke with the galleries they were still dealing with aftershocks on a daily basis, many of them still haven't had access to their premises and were really not in a position to make any plans for the future."

Catterall said the industry had been affected by tough trading conditions but the earthquakes in September and February had "really finished off what was left".

"Christchurch will be deeply affected by the quake for years to come.

"One thing that you can be sure of is that local artists will be conveying their emotions surrounding recent events and I think that will make for some very powerful and deeply moving works."

The site allows users to see a virtual gallery in 3D, which gives them a sense of size and scale of the painting or artwork.