Pandemic art plays its role in spreading positive, life-affirming messages

Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if [it’s] only black and white.” Along with the framed picture of his work titled game changer, reclusive street artist Banksy left this brief but touching note for the hospital workers of Southampton General Hospital in south England. The note and the artwork - of a boy playing with a nurse superhero toy, presented to the hospital in early May proved to be a morale booster for the staff. Amid the flood of art
that has been created in the past two months, Banksy’s painting was one of the more popular works that tackled the Covid-19 pandemic and the havoc it has wrought.
Now, while the phrase maybe cringe-worthy there is such a thing as ‘pandemic art’ that takes inspiration from, and alsoconveys a glimmer of hope, when life seems unsure. The ‘genre’ isn’t entirely new either considering that certain iconic works and art movements were created during that other pandemic that happened over a 100 years ago:the1918 flu.
SPREAD THE MESSAGE
In early March, the United Nations chose to tap into the power of art. The international organisation along with arts group Amplifier launched an independent campaign to submit artwork that would ‘help share lifesaving information on Covid-19’. Over 17,000 contributions were received from artists in 143 countries.
Bengaluru-based graffiti artist Badal Nanjundaswamy may not have participated in the UN campaign but during the early phase of the lockdown, Nanjundaswamy found himself driven to do graffiti related to Covid-19. “During the lockdown every time I looked out the window, I saw how people disregarded the rules of staying at home. So, I decided to get out and create art with that message.” First came grafitti work outside his home in RT Nagar with Stay Home scrawled boldly followed by one more at a bus stand near his place. “I even had commissioner of police Bhaskar Rao come and write Stay Home for one of my works,” he adds.
Like Nanjundaswamy, Madhubani artist Avinash Karn, locked down in his studio in Benaras, has been regularly posting his Madhubani drawings related to the pandemic. These works reflect the issues related to Covid-19 that’s been happening across the country. “I was doing a work (Gratitude) on people clapping hands for the health care professionals,” Karn recollects. “That evening I read about some home owners evicting doctors from their homes. My incomplete work had some blank space so I used it to show the same.” Similarly, when the authorities sprayed disinfectant on labourers in Uttar Pradesh, Karn was provoked to make another painting. He asks, “Do we have disinfectants for upper-class wealthy tourists who had recently done foreign trips?” As gratifying attention is pouring on social media, the city-based Azim Premji Foundation has commissioned the artist to make Covid-19 awareness posters. Karn says that five of the posters are now being circulated amongst government school students promoting the idea Stay Home, Stay Safe. The posters are simple and effective. From hand- washing to playing games with the family during lockdown, the posters convey the message without much text or explanation. “The foundation has shared them with the parents of government school students via Whatsapp,” he notes.
Anu Menda, managing trustee of RMZ Foundation believes in the positive power of art. Which is why once lockdown rules were relaxed, Menda and team decided to spread awareness on the need to wear face masks in a slightly offbeat way: They decided to have a mask digitally rendered on Devi, the 1.5tonheavy iconic sculpture by G Ravinder Reddy that welcomes visitors in the lobby of RMZ Ecoworld. “The soft power of art was a decisive factor in why we chose to do it. Devi is one of our anchor sculptures and the digital rendering will be a constant reminder to people to wear their masks,” says Menda who may have plans to get an actual sculpture that is accessorized with a face mask.
ABSORB, REFLECT, RESPOND
The lockdown has been a busy time for artist Ravi Kashi with classes and creating new art but ask him if he has created anything based on the pandemic and he responds in the negative. I don’t believe in creating reactionary work he says, but his observations of the goings on may someday seep into his work. “The sad state of affairs of the migrants has impacted me. I’d recently shared some artwork that I had made when I was a student 30 years ago that reflected the plight of the labourers of the time. So, who knows, what I am seeing today may reflect in some work in the future.” As a graffiti artist, Nanjundaswamy’s art is mostly reactionary but he echoes Kashi when he says, “I may create something about the ongoing migrant crisis in the future”.
Looking at the kind of art we can expect in the near future, irrespective of the bad market, gallerist Pramila Baidof Gallery Sumukha says, “Considering artists have had a good two to twoand-a half months to themselves, you can expect to see good quality art in the coming months.”
(With inputs from Jayanthi Madhukar)