Modesty Masks

I began drawing these masked faces in April 2019 after a trip to South Korea where so many people wore masks as an act of social responsibility and cooperation or in order to hide from view. Much of my work taps into perceived threat and anxiety. In this series there’s almost a premonition of the c-19 pandemic. In the UK the face mask and the lack of PPE became a political issue that made visible governmental failures to prepare for such a health crisis. In the early days of Covid-19 people wearing masks were attacked as selfish when in reality by wearing masks we protect each other. It is an issue that remains unresolved and despite mandates the rules are vague and there is no enforcement of mask wearing in public spaces.