Street Art

Gollum, Trench Coat, and Hazmat

Here these three street pieces provide commentary on the scarcity of items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer. For some reason, during this pandemic many people went to grocery stores and bought bulks of toilet paper, making it difficult for other people to have access to it. For a somewhat short period, toilet paper became a scarce item, which explains the art piece of Gollum looking at a roll of toilet paper and calling it his precious. Additionally, the man in a trench coat selling toilet paper shows how valuable something many people took for granted became. In a way, this shows a lighthearted and humorous situation during such a difficult time. 

Uncle Sam, The Simpsons, and #stayhome

During a time when people should be staying inside to slow down the spread of COVID-19, many people who have the option of staying home, decide not to. It is through these art pieces where artists can both show their creativity and frustration with those that are refusing to stay home. The piece that interested me the most out of this bunch was the one where Uncle Sam is saying, "I want you to stay home." Usually, Uncle Sam is associated with saying "I want you for U.S. Army," to convey a certain responsibility to U.S. citizens to serve and protect their country.

Here the artist is trying to convey that same sense of responsibility to those who live in the U.S. by doing what they can to slow the spread of COVID-19, which is staying home. Other art pieces such as the Simpsons one is more subtle, but still interesting because it is showing a very well-known and iconic TV show that is important to mainstream media. Contrastly, the other piece where the Black woman is saying "Stay the fuck home," is more explicit and clear, and does a great job of showing the artist's feelings. 

Overall, they all convey the same message, to stay home. During this time, many people refused to stay home and even protested against it. Many people have demanded the right to go outside so they can get haircuts, get their nails done, eat in restaurants, etc. These artists' message is that it is essential to stay home to enjoy such simple pleasures of going outside again. 

Kissing Masks

Out of all of the art pieces, this is my personal favorite. To me, it is lovely because it shows two people expressing their love for each other while still wearing their masks and protecting one another. It shows how vital affection is, but how difficult it is to express it during a time where we need to be practicing social distancing. So in a way, it shows two people that love one another but know the importance of keeping some sort of distance between them during a pandemic. Or another way of looking at it could be how two people have found a way to come together and close the distance between them. 

Corona

Lastly, I liked this piece because of the visuals and the design the artist used. I also found the corona beer bottle as both clever and humorous. There is also something about the way that the man in the hazmat is looking directly at the viewer that makes it more compelling and eye-catching.