FINALIST

‘Social Distancing’ 2021 Christina Lowry
Giclée print, Edition of 3 + 2 AP

42 x 63cm

The first and second edition of this piece are currently hanging in New South Wales as finalists in the Whitewall Art Prize, and the Gosford Art Prize.

It’s the second piece in a collection I am working on that investigates the iconography of 17th century Dutch art during the plague, combined with symbolism from the present, to respond the the Covid pandemic.

No animals were harmed in the making of this work, rather, the native mynah bird was discovered dead in the gutter as I walked home from the shops with a bag of groceries. Dead birds often featured in still lives of the Golden Age. The newly wealthy Dutch merchant class invested in art work that portrayed their opulence, and songbirds were a delicacy. Thus, I walked the rest of the way home balancing the groceries in my arms, the bird in my bag. (I have Department of Environment and Science collection authority to collect deceased wildlife.)

I wanted to explore the increased mental and emotional stress as a result of lockdowns, loneliness, and fear. Of that strange feeling we were all faced with when the pandemic first hit, this ominous invisible threat of the virus. I began by photographing the bird on the table, head lolling and introduced the ‘X’ is a floor marker indicating social distancing. Something was missing, and I sat with my research looking for the answer. The repetition of cats in vanitas works was the clue I was looking for, and my sixteen year old black cat gave me the tension I was looking for. That gaze.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Immediately after I captured the shot George tried to make a hasty retreat, however the bird was removed and buried.