COVID CITY
2022
Covid City: A Place To Come Together
Covid City is my response to the isolating nature of the pandemic. When the lockdown began, I made a promise to myself: not to let the Covid-19 virus slow me down. While the quarantine forced me to stay inside, it couldn't shut me down emotionally, creatively, spiritually, or economically.
I embarked on a journey of learning, doing, and creating as much as I possibly could. I dedicated myself to developing my skills so that the virus and the fear surrounding it wouldn't affect me personally. If the world shut down, I would create my own. That's how this sculptural art project came to life—a 1:18 scale cityscape constructed entirely from discarded materials.
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2018-WIP
Covid City: A Place To Come Together
During my daily runs, I collected cardboard, plastic bits, Legos, toys, and other trash that could be transformed into objects needed to create a realistic urban setting.
The aesthetic of this piece pays homage to the architectural style and utility of the Parkdale neighborhood while also recognizing the many amazing artists who have been born and raised here.
Throughout the pandemic, I completed 10 buildings that depict my jumbled childhood memories of what Parkdale resembled before gentrification hit it like a bomb.
Each building tells a story, reflecting the neighborhood's journey from a low-income, working-class area with numerous social housing units for new immigrants to an upscale enclave specializing in boutique living. Unfortunately, the neighborhood I grew up in did not make it through these unprecedented times, and what we have lost is now gone forever.
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As the lockdowns and public restrictions eased, I embarked on a search for a gallery to exhibit my latest piece. I ultimately chose to work with Northern Contemporary Gallery, as I had developed a fondness for their curating staff during past collaborations, and they offered me a great deal on a weekly rate.
Setting up the show proved to be a bit of an ordeal. I was determined to enclose the piece with plywood, cut in a style resembling construction hoarding that typically surrounds a building under renovation. However, this process turned out to be more time-consuming and laborious than I had initially envisioned. I made the mistake of assembling the plywood box before painting the wood, which almost destroyed the piece when I tried to take it apart by myself. With some help, I was able to paint the box and stage the piece in a satisfactory manner. Although it wasn't exactly how I had imagined it, it created a separation of space and time, as I intended.
Merely placing the work on a table for passive observation felt inadequate to engage the audience. Therefore, I surrounded the city with hoarding, forcing viewers to interact with the sculpture as active participants, requiring them to decode and map the city through six obstructed diamond-shaped views. Some participants felt that the lack of visibility hindered their appreciation for the piece. Yet, I found comfort in this feedback, as my intention was to create a puzzle that only the most observant could assemble.
The desire of many patrons to consume the piece without obstruction demonstrates the selfishness that contemporary culture breeds in all of us, urging us to devour copious amounts of content without considering its meaning. In the digital age, the act of slowly nourishing our intellectual abilities and visual literacy by carefully deconstructing the information we choose to consume seems to be an act of blasphemy.
Exhibiting this rendition of Covid City at Northern Contemporary Gallery was a fulfilling experience. I was heartened by the reception the piece received from the many strangers who stumbled upon the gallery. I look forward to continuing to build new objects for Covid City and assembling them in even more obstructed and intriguing ways.
Through its intricate design and deliberate obstructions, the artwork challenges viewers to actively engage with it, highlighting the contemporary culture's tendency to consume content without meaningful reflection.
Covid City's exhibition at Northern Contemporary Gallery was met with enthusiasm and offers a glimpse into the artist's ongoing exploration and evolution within this unique urban landscape.
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2022
COVID CITY FLOOR INSTALLATION
I embarked on a journey of learning, doing, and creating as much as I possibly could. I dedicated myself to developing my skills so that the virus and the fear surrounding it wouldn't affect me personally. If the world shut down, I would create my own. That's how this sculptural art project came to life—a 1:18 scale cityscape constructed entirely from discarded materials.
Covid City: A Place To Come Together
During my daily runs, I collected cardboard, plastic bits, Legos, toys, and other trash that could be transformed into objects needed to create a realistic urban setting.
The aesthetic of this piece pays homage to the architectural style and utility of the Parkdale neighborhood while also recognizing the many amazing artists who have been born and raised here.
Throughout the pandemic, I completed 10 buildings that depict my jumbled childhood memories of what Parkdale resembled before gentrification hit it like a bomb.
Each building tells a story, reflecting the neighborhood's journey from a low-income, working-class area with numerous social housing units for new immigrants to an upscale enclave specializing in boutique living. Unfortunately, the neighborhood I grew up in did not make it through these unprecedented times, and what we have lost is now gone forever.
As the lockdowns and public restrictions eased, I embarked on a search for a gallery to exhibit my latest piece. I ultimately chose to work with Northern Contemporary Gallery, as I had developed a fondness for their curating staff during past collaborations, and they offered me a great deal on a weekly rate.
Setting up the show proved to be a bit of an ordeal. I was determined to enclose the piece with plywood, cut in a style resembling construction hoarding that typically surrounds a building under renovation. However, this process turned out to be more time-consuming and laborious than I had initially envisioned. I made the mistake of assembling the plywood box before painting the wood, which almost destroyed the piece when I tried to take it apart by myself. With some help, I was able to paint the box and stage the piece in a satisfactory manner. Although it wasn't exactly how I had imagined it, it created a separation of space and time, as I intended.
Merely placing the work on a table for passive observation felt inadequate to engage the audience. Therefore, I surrounded the city with hoarding, forcing viewers to interact with the sculpture as active participants, requiring them to decode and map the city through six obstructed diamond-shaped views. Some participants felt that the lack of visibility hindered their appreciation for the piece. Yet, I found comfort in this feedback, as my intention was to create a puzzle that only the most observant could assemble.
The desire of many patrons to consume the piece without obstruction demonstrates the selfishness that contemporary culture breeds in all of us, urging us to devour copious amounts of content without considering its meaning. In the digital age, the act of slowly nourishing our intellectual abilities and visual literacy by carefully deconstructing the information we choose to consume seems to be an act of blasphemy.
Exhibiting this rendition of Covid City at Northern Contemporary Gallery was a fulfilling experience. I was heartened by the reception the piece received from the many strangers who stumbled upon the gallery. I look forward to continuing to build new objects for Covid City and assembling them in even more obstructed and intriguing ways.
Through its intricate design and deliberate obstructions, the artwork challenges viewers to actively engage with it, highlighting the contemporary culture's tendency to consume content without meaningful reflection.
Covid City's exhibition at Northern Contemporary Gallery was met with enthusiasm and offers a glimpse into the artist's ongoing exploration and evolution within this unique urban landscape.
COVID CITY FLOOR INSTALLATION