Art in times of quarantine

We can't change the course of this pandemic but we can surely draw inspiration from the situation we're in, writes Manjulika Pramod

Uncertainty and the impact of Covid-19 worldwide has already started to affect our mental and emotional balance. If it would not have been art and its power to entertain, refresh, inspire, distract, cleanse and reinstate aspiration, we would all have been victims of quarantine, malaise, and melancholy. Perhaps that’s what makes art so valuable and desirable in these
times of pandemic and its consequences.

Patrons of art will agree that while science has been saving the world from falling in the grip of the nasty virus, art has been keeping us all motivated and alive. Visual things, tangible items of all shapes and sizes, and our everyday creations are empowering us to every bit. With the help of art, we can feel limitless, even in the lockdown. We are vulnerable individuals and this sudden detachment from our regular life is not coming easy on us. Shift your perspective and you will see how art and artists are helping in being more proactive.

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The reality of the virus and the fact that travel seems a distant dream now can be just the right reason to focus on situational drawings, more so, on #stayhomestaysafe. In an attempt to rejuvenate and keep yourself busy, make one creation every day. The intention should be to remind others to stay calm and never lose hope in the times when we feel like giving up. I have used Indian art forms, Gond and Warli art to propagate awareness. I am also using art to live my affair with travel. An artist and traveller never lose their passion and inspiration. This is the time when both can be combined.

What if we cannot travel now, we can always re-create our old memories or make new ones from pictures around the world. While travel is a far-fetched idea right now, I am capturing the impact of social distancing, lockdown, and Covid-19 in different places through my sketches. Let’s raise a toast to the indomitable spirit of mankind. Like Sir Albert Einstein said: “A society’s competitive advantage will come not from how well its schools teach the multiplication and periodic tables, but from how well they stimulate imagination and creativity.”

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