New Japanese app ewomiru displays public domain paintings on televisions

A new Japanese application named “ewomiru” has been released to display public domain paintings on television screens in a continuous slideshow format. Developed by Taihei Yamashita, the app aims to reduce disparities in cultural capital by making art a passive, everyday presence in the home.

Unlike platforms that require active selection, such as Google Arts & Culture, “ewomiru” functions as a continuous stream. It features 2,556 works curated from institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Korea, and ColBase. To ensure suitability for various household settings, the developer has excluded paintings containing violent or sexual content.

Users can choose from different viewing modes, such as “See All” for random rotation, “By Scene” for thematic grouping, or “Timeline” for chronological order. The app also offers audio options, including music matched to the scenes or a random selection from 14 radio stations. The service is free to use and does not require account registration. It is compatible with Google TV, Android TV, and Fire TV, though installation requires specific steps via developer options.