Art In The Time of Corona

This period of time will always be remembered for Covid-19, the coronavirus pandemic that has stopped society as we know it, and the social distancing, quarantines, and stay-at-home orders, in humanity’s efforts to overcome. It is a strange time to be alive. Every artist I know has the capacity to thrive in isolation, but ultimately, people need people.

During my isolation, I recently completed this sculpture of an octopus. Titled The Healer, it is a symbol of adaptability and represents positivity in conquering difficult obstacles. An octopus is an extremely intelligent creature that can adapt to new environments, hide, disappear, squeeze through seemingly impossible passages, hold strong, attack, and regenerate. In our quest to defeat Covid-19, the unique characteristics of an octopus are especially important for us to emulate.

The sculpture is made of thousands of little pebbles. The octopus of course has eight arms that connect to a central mantle, and in this artwork these can be interpreted to be the various human populations of the biggest landmasses that connect to Earth’s mantle.

Girl with Umbrella

This sculpture relates to the Untitled painting I recently completed (see post "Apt Cat" 01/20/15). The girl with an umbrella is an element of that painting, and the metaphor is reinterpreted through this sculpture. 

Different from the girl in the painting, the sculpture deliberately has grayish, washed-out color to complement the cracks, chasms, and expression in her face.  

It is 19" x 12" x 12" with acrylic paint, clay, epoxy resin, paper, foam, sand, tape, steel wire, and aluminum armature, wood, 2015.

New Lion Sculpture

This sculpture relates to my Rise Fall Rise series which includes sculpture and painting, mixed media, with abstract and representational elements. I enjoy how artworks together can be part of a greater whole, carry a central theme, mirror or oppose each other and create a dialogue, while also standing alone as individual pieces. A good example is how a two-dimensional element in a painting can be rethought and recreated as a three-dimensional sculpture that viewers can walk around. 

This lion represents struggle, conflict, isolation, resistance... I deliberately created it to have cracks and chasms. Lions have always been symbols of strength and power. They are kings of the animal world, revered by people since forever. Yet, despite this exalted status they have in our minds, their status in the physical world is endangered. Beyond this literal interpretation, this sculpture is a metaphor for our own struggles. We face conflict and fight on, crack, struggle, rise and fall, survive...

Other artworks in the series are Untitled (girl with cat and doll), Penguin (2014), Dirty Business, Manufacturing Consent, Intermission A, and Intermission B. I am currently working on several others, including of course a painting with a lion element; stay tuned for updates!

11" x 17" x 8" sculpture: acrylic paint, clay, epoxy resin, canvas, paper, foam, sand, steel wire and aluminum armature, wood, 2015.

The Penguin

This penguin, on the tip of an iceberg, is a sculpture that hangs on the wall. I deliberately created it with uneven, imperfect surfaces because I find imperfections intriguing, like the decay of an old building. Another example would be the difference between CGI animation and stop motion animation (e.g., claymation) -- something about the hand-made puppets and broken movements in stop motion animation move me more. Maybe it is because everything in contemporary society seems to be flawlessly computer generated. Imperfections are more human. 

24" x 18" x 9", acrylic paint, epoxy resin, canvas, paper, foam, salt, steel wire and aluminum armature, wood, 2014.