They closed our galleries!
They suspended the Arts!
They insisted we stay home!
Artists took to the streets, walls became canvas, spray cans became brushes and the theme became covid. Concepts around mortality parallel the realities of the daily death toll. Political in nature, demaining protection from the virus and gratitude towards key workers.
‘Covid will kill us all’ reflects a mortal state and the demise of the human race. Subjugated by the presence of discarded household items. The era when the home became the full domain, the clear out of draws, wardrobes, combined with the rearranging of lofts. Commodities no longer of use are abandoned, charity shop closures led to an abundance of fly tipping. Evictions due to the pandemic, when mass unemployment soured, many being left to transport their possessions in the multi-facetted shopping trolley.
‘Shield Us’ strategically positioned on Princess Park gates in Liverpool. The park was central to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests held last summer in response to the killing of George Floyd. Superbly inscribed on pure white cotton, the image of the shield supplemented by the ironwork of the historic gates and the sun beaming down onto the spectrum. A political message, demanding the authorities protect us from the raging virus!
We look toward what can be considered little more vandalism, lacking in any artistic credentials. However, the badly sprawled message looks to thank the NHS (National Health Service, UK). Reflecting the global trend of mass gratitude towards medical staff and nurses in particular. The ‘Clap for carers’ spirit which overtook our Thursday evenings straggled onto the closed security shutters of our shopping streets.
Street art has been with us since Roman times, modern graffiti routing from the US in the 1960’s, extending worldwide by Hollywood. Mainly produced by suburban, teenage males, these works depict the mental health concerns of our youths. The Mental Health Foundation and Swansea University have shown anxiety and depression to be much higher among young people over the pandemic.
When cultural events moved on line we found vibrancy in the real art of the street. The subculture of discidency of graffiti gave a political voice to those determined to violate coronavirus restrictions. Covi’ffiti, an artistic response to the pandemic.
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