I’ve had a lot of interesting conversations with the folk over at Quarantine Events. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, the team at Quarantine put their hearts and minds into creating uniquely beneficial week-long events to encourage artists to find and cultivate their true selves. They do this in a particularly personalized and experimental fashion. And by constantly listening to and working with other creatives, each event evolves, growing on past experiences to ensure even returning artists can still benefit and continue their growth.
In their eyes, there is a lot to be critiqued when it comes to “traditional” means of art education. “The heart is an eye.” Explains Carles Gomila, Founder & Director of Quarantine. “Whatever it sees, it brings to life. If it beats, it sees a world that’s connected. If it doesn’t, it sees a world that’s rejected. So, when you look at the model – what do you see? Is it the model, or is it YOU?”
Sounds a little strange? Stick with us here.
“When you paint a nude in art school, you’re painting yourself. You are the one laid bare.” Stresses Carles. “Look at your classmates – what do you see? If they all paint the same, it’s because they all think the same. And if they all think alike, it’s because nobody’s thinking for themselves.
“And you’re stuck there among them, trapped inside your teacher’s head. You’re regurgitating, mere inertia. If this is happening, then it’s important to realise: That voice you hear? It’s not yours. It’s the school you hear. Don’t blame yourself though, that’s how schools work. It’s neither good nor bad. Academies are academies, and you get what you signed up for.”
But what if you are an artist who craves something more?
“Well, WELCOME.” Smiles Carles. Quarantine might be just the place for you. “Quarantine is a club for the ones who can’t bear the rules.”
You may have been taught to see how your tutors see, with the best intentions. They gave you tools, thinking those tools would set you free. But sometimes, the artist can get stuck in the prison of someone else’s world.
Those tools: the ideas, those ways of seeing – they become part of who you are. You can’t simply shake them off. You want to see the world differently? You will have to change. But the real question is: How do you escape a prison that lives inside you?
The Quarantine team have focussed on this question a lot. For Carles, there’s both good and bad news: “The bad? You can’t escape. You can’t stop being you. But the good: you can give your prison a whole new meaning.”
“Picture this: A wall stands before you, with bars blocking your only exit. You can’t destroy them; they are permanent. But you don’t need to destroy them. Your brain is an obsessive builder, a stubborn architect; cut one bar, two more appear. Knock down one wall, three more arise.
But your mind is also an artist. What you add changes everything.
“You can layer new ideas like brushstrokes, painting over what doesn’t work until it does. The messed-up stroke is still there, but it doesn’t matter anymore. You just paint over it until it looks right. That’s the creative process.
“You can’t run from yourself. You just need to redefine yourself – to paint over what’s there. You don’t have to erase the old brushstroke each time you add a new one. Those bars – that limit – is you. You can’t destroy who you are, but you can imagine something new on top of who you are. Fundamentally, we are here to help you as an artist to TRANSFORM.”
Quarantine: No more technique. No more quick fixes. Just new questions and new perspective.
“You can’t unlearn what you have already learned.” States Carles, which is why Quarantine is built to change your perspective without forcing you to stop being you. They exist to help you accept the bars and draw a door over them. “That’s why, on Lazaretto Island, the cage becomes a bird. That’s our motto.” Explains Carles Gomila.
Let us share more on this with you. First things first, look at this image. You’ll see why in a moment.
Now see the giraffe.
Look back at the blobs.
You can’t unsee the giraffe, can you?
You’ll never see those blobs the same way again. Forever and irreversibly, you’ll see that giraffe. It was there all along, only your perception changed. Those are the visual instructions you’ve been given, and you’ll follow them against your will forever.
There’s no “undo” button. Your will has no power here.
“Visual thinking works on a deep level where intellect can’t intervene. That’s how easy it is to create a mental prison and impose a viewpoint. So, think about how your education is shaping your perception. Once you learn a way of seeing, it can’t be unlearned.
“That’s why most students try to paint the same way. They strive to see the world through their teachers’ eyes, not their own. Being like the one who does it “correctly” feels comforting, until you realize that being an artist is THE OPPOSITE.” While the aim may be to give you the foundations before you evolve your own visual language, the team at Quarantine argue this path can be flawed.
How can you be 100% sure of what you want when you’re yet to see the world 100% with your own eyes?
Welcome to Quarantine. An island, not a school, Quarantine is a place to reset. To break away, respite, and give yourself a chance. In their own words, it is “a walled fortress where you can turn limitations into tools and celebrate your vision without judgment.”
Their next event takes place from April 13 – 19, 2026. Tears in Rain is an experiment designed to cut you out of the student mindset for good and help you to rewire your perspective. Are you ready?
Tears in Rain
Tears in the Rain will gather 63 artists from around the globe, along with seven esteemed mentors:
Yulia Bas | Phil Hale | Adam Miller | Sean Layh | Mu Pan | Yuko Shimizu | Martin Wittfooth
Interested in applying and chatting to one of the Quarantine team to find out more? Now is the time – click the link to learn more and don’t miss out!
Quarantine Social Media Accounts + additional blogs
Website | Instagram | How an Art Retreat Becomes a Social Experiment | Quarantine Events Brutally Honest Oracle
