Pandemic Art: How Artists Respond in Times of Turmoil
Written by Oliver Squirrell
Art is the ultimate expression of what it means to be human. The medium enables us to convey profound emotions, thoughts and ideas which cannot be communicated with wavering words. So what greater calling for an artist than to say something far-reaching about the human condition when the population at large is facing radical change, loss or social unrest.
Indeed, from prolific plagues to world wars and modern viruses, artists have not only provided our population with a relentless reminder of the horrors of conflict and the tragedies of personal loss, but they have also paved the way to social change and inspire us to challenge our own personal thinking, perceptions and actions during times of upheaval.
Keith Haring’s iconic “Ignorance = Fear” (pictured below), for example, created mass awareness and empathy for AIDs sufferers, inspired new research and opened up an international conversation about an issue which was previously unspoken. Haring’s ability to construct a universal language from simple symbols has resulted in a meteoric message and a catalyst for change which is just as powerful today as it was over 30 years ago.
Similarly, Pablo Picasso’s widely celebrated “Guernica” (pictured below) remains a rousing incentive for peace, a timeless deterrent to the perpetual pandemic of war.
Further to artists providing reflection and hope in response to a pandemic, likewise the pandemics themselves can also have a lasting impact on art as we know it. For example, the 14th Century Black Death caused biblical disruption to the flow of artistic innovation that foreshadowed the Renaissance, not only through the loss of key artists at the time, but according to acclaimed art historian Millard Meiss this disruption was also a consequence of the fears, anxieties and sense of guilt felt by the survivors, not to mention the impact that the plague had on the political, social, economic and religious landscape.
Enter Covid-19, how will artists respond and what will the overall impact be on art? With regards to the latter, it feels a certainty that digital innovation will rapidly evolve, not only with regards to the creation of art but how we all engage with art and artists is also changing daily, so watch this space for some inconceivable innovation! Only time will tell what other factors will change the art landscape as we know it.
And what of the artists themselves? How are they responding? How can they express something new about what it means to be human during this state of flux?
In the case of Nicolas Ruston, for example, his brand new body of work blends the current global feeling of unease with personal childhood memories and fantastical visions of the future to express something new across multimedia.
Nicolas Ruston and Ashley Stokes, "I went home on the plane today", 2020
Nicolas Ruston, "Corona Hammer", 2020
Nicolas Ruston, "Blue Horizon", 2020
Nicolas Ruston, "Call In Sick", 2020
Speaking about his new collection of work, Ruston writes,
“I made these works around the time the coronavirus outbreak started. I wanted to capture the mood of anxiety and fear. I responded by making art in my studio and experimenting with new techniques. I’d been making work recently that featured a dead fly motif and accompanying epitaphs. Very glib and very striking.”
“The work also started to reference devices I’d used in previous paintings like the flash. I recreated drawings I made when I was 5 years old, and included common memes about anxiety.”
“Before the world started to go into self-isolation I invited the author Ashley Stokes to my studio. We’d already collaborated on previous projects and we were currently working on a series of last words spoken by flies. We imagined a world, for example, where the vivid blue light of an electric UV bug zapper was something magical, poetic or even godlike. Ashley added slogans and fragments from his notebooks and stories in his inimitable, spidery handwriting.” - Nicolas Ruston
Further works from this collection will be published in a future post.
For now, who knows what the future will hold for us in the short and longer term, but that’s the mighty muse that artists must now grapple with in order to truly reflect and inspire what it means to be human.
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