EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE OK?

I think we can all agree that we’ve had better years... Nothing seems to have been left unscathed by the pandemic. Our worlds have shrunk. Our social interactions are limited, awkward and frustratingly tech dependent. Holidays are illegal and for the love of God (!) Don’t. Hug. Anyone. The fear of catching the virus and inadvertently killing grandma is all too real. 

Our existence has been confined to our homes. We’ve lived through our screens and our memories and taken solace in the small pleasures. We’ve had more time in our own heads than is probably mentally safe. A trip to the supermarket became an adventure and the smallest of inconveniences caused meltdowns on par with Chernobyl. Or is that just me? No, I didn’t think so. 

Then there are days when I’ve thought “how can everything be so fucked up on such a global scale?” But then, when hasn’t it been fucked? We live in an environment where information is so readily distributed and consumed on such a scale, a single line of text can send the entire world into a riot. Truth is a perspective, facts are “alternative” and context is often irrelevant. Layer on top the tsunami of opinions and it’s no wonder we’re in a state. 

Personally, I’ve felt a deep disconnect from people and the world, more like a voyeur than a participant. I’m more in tune with my anxieties and fears about the future. Anxieties I didn’t know existed. I’m angry, yet feel powerless to make a difference. This introspection hasn’t sat well with me, manifesting itself in some uncomfortable works which touch on themes of identity, politics and mortality. Who or what do we look to for reassurance? 

However within the darkness there is an inherent joy, expressed through the use of colour and materials. I employ a bleak sense of humour and attempt to be optimistic, because everything is gonna be ok… isn’t it?