the vocabulary of loss: living through the coronavirus

My paintings currently address the social conditions of the coronavirus. My first series, How Come?, addresses how the pandemic has affected our perception of the American Dream. Plans have been changed; hopes have been dashed; loved ones have been lost. But in spite of this, life goes on. My other paintings capture the human face at unusual angles, reflecting how the act of looking has been transformed by the new social terms of coronavirus, producing a feeling of disconnectedness despite increased eye contact on video platforms. In these moments we are confronted with the inescapable sight of ourselves in an unvarnished state. This lack of agency increases our sense of powerlessness. My paintings are a way of reclaiming the lost physical and emotional connections created by coronavirus.