Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Esther Kim

New Norm

"New Norm" is one of my COVID 19 series, showing my brother working virtually in his tiny office in his room. His most private space has become the outer professional world. Space itself has blurred out the distinction between the outside and inside, transforming his most intimate and comfortable space into an office. The extension of remote work only allows him to communicate digitally through a webcam. This picture is what we are all facing at the moment—our reality. My brother's face is almost doll-like and stiff, expressing his despair from disconnection during the locked down. Through my painting, I wanted to address the isolation that the pandemic brought to all of us. My brother and maybe people around us are overcoming the situation in their way. I know this difficult time has an end, and I send the dove through the window as Noah did during the flood.