Wuhan artist draws on life in city to capture pandemic

WUHAN, China — Scribbled instructions for incoming patients plastered on the window of a silent hospital reception counter. A lone worker in a hazmat suit, steadily spraying disinfectant in an empty hospital hallway.

Such scenes from the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan — moments of fear and desperation as well as unity and resilience — are etched in the mind of artist Yang Qian.

One year on, she is channeling those memories into artwork to preserve the memory of the central Chinese city’s 76-day lockdown that upturned the lives of 11 million people. In a way, that’s an extension of her work as a volunteer delivering supplies to hospitals and residents during the traumatic period, while also reflecting the pride many residents take in having weathered the outbreak and draconian measures taken to bring it under control.

“To express what I’ve seen in a realistic way, this is the responsibility I’ve given myself. I also hope that much of the history should not be forgotten,” Yang said.

A painter by trade, she felt helpless in the face of an unknown virus ravaging her hometown. Fear gripped the city as authorities shut its residents in their homes and froze transport links Jan. 23, 2020.

Two days later, she began volunteering with a group delivering protective clothing, masks and other supplies around hospitals. Over the course of 4 months, she and a fellow volunteer delivered some

90,000 sets of protective clothing and around

450,000 face masks. Now a year later, Wuhan has largely returned to normal, its streets bustling with shoppers, its nightclubs throbbing until dawn and pensioners dancing to a Chinese rendition of a Katy Perry song along the neonlit Yangtze River. Only the masks that residents wear provide a visual reminder of the pandemic.

“What I see is the unity of our city, our nation. I find that I am really very proud of being a Chinese” Yang said, expressing a sentiment that has been encouraged by the government, which some have accused of mishandling the initial stage of the outbreak and allowing it to spread around the world.

An exhibition she organized last year at a gallery she runs brought together 23 artists with 60 pieces of artwork related to the coronavirus.

Her efforts have won plaudits from Wuhan media and residents. The exhibition “crystallized every touching moment of the pandemic,” said entrepreneur and friend Michael Liu.

“Unifying art and thoughts, and taking action, is something that many of us cannot do,” he said.

Yang is working on a wallsize aerial view of Wuhan under lockdown.

For now, she is focused on making up for the pandemic’s lost time, working on her painting, managing her gallery and preparing for exhibits. The pandemic, she said, is a reminder of how precious that time can be: “Life is really very fragile and small.”

NG HAN GUAN/AP Chinese artist Yang Qian uses dots to recreate an aerial view of the city during the pandemic at her studio in Wuhan, China, which has largely returned to normal.