Plague time

Michael Alexander has a chat to internationally-renowned Dundee-educated artist Frank To about how 17th Century ‘plague doctors’ inspired him to produce socially activated Covid-19 themed art

In 17th Century Europe, when the bubonic plague was the most feared disease in the world, towns would hire so-called plague doctors to prescribe what they believed at the time to be protective concoctions and plague antidotes. Dressed in long thick cloaks and sinister pointed facemasks, the beak they had was a “filter” for what they believed to be bad, infected air – not realising, of course, that the bubonic plague was in fact carried by the fleas of rats.

In 2011, Scottish artist Frank To opened a critically acclaimed exhibition of paintings in Edinburgh that was inspired by the history of these plague doctors.

It explored the common yet unwelcome sight of the costumed figures in bygone centuries, and the misconception about the very nature of the disease that wiped out hundreds of millions of people in seemingly unstoppable global pandemics.

Fast forward to now, and perhaps it was inevitable that the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design graduate – now with an international reputation as an award-winning artist – would take a stance on the UK Government’s response to Covid-19.

He is the only artist currently making artwork out of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s letters to the British public – advising them of the regulations that were in place for the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Frank is commonly known for his radical artwork created in explosive black powder and ignited gunpowder which has been praised by the contemporary art world and critics.

In this new series, however, he is limiting his use of materials by using soot and smoke.

“By the time people received these letters from the UK Government, a majority had already applied the recommended measures such as social distancing,” the 38-year-old University of the Highlands and Islands art lecturer told The Courier.

“Therefore, these government documents are immediately disregarded as trash which is a pity due to the impact it has on the environment such as the trees used to make them.

“According to Business Insider, £6 million of taxpayers’ money was spent making these letters for 66 million people in the UK.

“To have that much money and time allocated to making these letters could have been used more effectively such as funding the NHS.

“As an artist, a humanist and social activist, I feel that I’m morally obliged to make use of these letters and create artwork that not only saves wastage, but to document visually the lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Frank is showcasing the prime minister’s Covid-19 letters as art – including one of a plague doctor holding a toilet roll – on his Instagram @ frank_to_artist and Facebook Art Page @Franktofineartist as part of the Artist Support Pledge.

The pledge was set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic where many artists have been left without work therefore affecting their income.

The Artist Support Pledge #artistsupportpledge was created where artists would post images of the work which can be bought for no more than £200. Every time they reach £1,000 of sales, they pledge to buy another artist’s work for £200.

Frank, who works in Inverness but does most of his artwork in Glasgow, has been dealing with the realities of lockdown separation from his partner at the time of this interview.

As a lecturer, he’s been trying to get his head round the SQA assessment guidelines for students unable to physically complete their courses.

However, as a man of British-chinese extraction, his social activism on Covid-19 has also been antagonised by recent Covid-related racism he’s experienced. He said people have been