“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”
john green
“I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning——
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
Curator’s Note
This exhibit focuses mainly on the different ways that people have come together during the pandemic. In 2020, there were historic restrictions placed on social gatherings: large gatherings were banned and social distancing guidelines were put in place. Despite this, people have still managed to find ways to close the distance, whether it be physically or virtually. We decided to explore artwork exemplifying different kinds of human interaction—between healthcare workers, partners (love), elders, and strangers that find a common ground amid a social justice movement (street interactions)
During the pandemic, health officials have urged people to empathize with each other by wearing masks and social distancing. These measures didn’t just protect themselves but also other people. Not following these guidelines has been regarded as selfish and reckless. At the height of the pandemic, many people photographed healthcare workers, shedding light on the reality of Covid-19, a contagious and deadly disease that some have seen as a burden. These photographs served as glimpses into the life of the frontline workers.
We wanted to focus on photographs and murals as the forms of artwork, because ever since the pandemic first started in March, street photography in NYC started to proliferate social media. Photographers jumped at the chance to capture such radical, trying, unprecedented times and the images they produced were powerful. From the documentation of empty streets, to seldom couples at the park, to medical workers fighting hard for our city and insanity—each photograph conveyed a powerful, emotional message. And this is when we realized that it would be cool to experiment with focusing on these different perspectives. In our gallery, we catch a glimpse of a—by no means exhaustive—collection of ways humans have dealt with the lack of social interaction the past 8 months.
In addition to photographs, we wanted to include some murals as part of our exhibition because it’s been an integral part of the ‘pandemic art world.’ It largely incorporated the Black Lives Matter social movement, COVID-19 human interactions, and political awareness. We appreciated that murals, in this way, represented much of the events in 2020. The same goes with photography—many artists resorted to these two forms of art to express themselves and what was happening around them. Photography was also convenient to many, with the only required equipment as an iPhone camera. Street artists left their mark on public walls through the means of mural paintings. They were visible—some next to the billboards on highways—conspicuous, and empowering. Although most people could not leave their houses to view these paintings as easily as they could access digital photographs, those driving by them were sure to have noticed them.
As a result of restrictions that were implemented to prevent social gatherings, most of the world who had access to the Internet resorted to social media in order to stay connected to friends and family. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, FaceTime, and Zoom were all platforms that were available to us. We decided to include snapshots and photographs of these platforms that illustrated one of many virtual social gatherings that have happened since the city shut down. It was amazing to reflect on how much could be done online—from weddings, class reunions, club meetings, family reunions, the ability to still see people’s faces was the ‘light’ that exists among the other sub-exhibits. It embodies the theme of our exhibit: closing the distance.
Ultimately, our goal is to shed light on the pandemic. While these have been hard times for everyone, we wanted to show that, in a way, it brought people closer together, as virtual gatherings allowed those to contact friends in a different state. They would never have thought of catching up if it weren’t for the current situation. We want to illustrate and document different perspectives of human interaction that have been readily available to us—if not, we created and found ways to stay in touch with those we loved. In such a tough situation, we wanted to show that human interaction, in different ways and forms, is ultimately the ‘light at the end of Daisy’s dock’. This Great Gatsby reference was the inspiration for our exhibit: people were able to find common ground to come together and fight against the pandemic.
The light at the end of Daisy’s dock is the only hope—the only aspect keeping us all sane, admittedly or not. It’s the hope that one day, the pandemic will be over and we will be able to see each other again. It’s the hope that we will be able to hug each other again. It’s the hope that we will be able to see each other’s smiles again. It’s the hope that, one day, we will close the distance.
