Wartime response by artists: Using cultural power to sail through tough times.

Pandemic may have forced all the art galleries and museums across the world into oblivion but the spirit of an artist always craves to align itself with nature and steer one’s action into oblivion. Artists in India are expressing the moods and dispositions of people amidst the seemingly perpetual lockdown as the pandemic has distributed the lives of people belonging to almost every strata of society in various manners for some it’s just a matter of change in lifestyle while for others its a matter of living and sustenance itself.

If some artists are depicting the virus as demons, others are spreading the message of social distancing but fear of it is a common thing which we all share. Creative fraternity seems to be up in arms against this battle against invisible foes. Hyderabad-based Iconart’s ongoing online exhibition ‘Covid Expressions’ in Banjara Hills has 37 artists sharing their views on COVID-19 pandemic through 92 artworks. COVID Expressions is a collection of works by artists, photographers, illustrations by members of Hyderabad Urban Lab (HUL), a poet, a cartoonist, an Ikebana expert and child artists portraying the current plight of different socioeconomic groups be it migrants, small business owners, media and caftans.

All in all, artists are of the opinion that it is a war like situation where lives are at risk and economies are in dire starits.In times like this it becomes pre-emptive to use the soft power of our country so that cultural gaiety can turn this tough times into call for solidarity as we are all in this together.