Alone with our optimism, soon together
A year ago, our lives changed. We’ve endured isolation, changed our habits. Where once we walked through a lively bustling city, now we walk through quiet streets. It’s changed the way we see the world.
That is true, too, for artists. John Ferri, a former senior editor at the Star and now a vice-president at TV-Ontario, has been creating digital collage work, a composite of photography and digital design elements, for almost 10 years.
He says the pandemic has changed what he sees as he peers through the lens of his camera.
“I see more people alone, not sitting or walking in groups,” he said in an email exchange with the Star. “I think I’ve always been interested in the idea of being alone in a public space, of being isolated even in a crowd. Well, the crowds are gone. The artwork I’ve created over the last year no doubt reflects this.”
In the image, above, a single figure walks their dog. A path winds its way through zones that contain riots of colour and individual bubbles.
His art, he hopes, offers “a unique visual perspective that balances precision, whimsy, and a fascination with human movement,” he wrote in his comments for the show this work, called “Morning,” is featured in online at Gallery 1313. “This piece is a counterpoint to how we’re all feeling after a year of living with fear and isolation. I didn’t set out to create a feeling of hope and optimism, it just went there on its own.
“I believe that we are finding our way forward and out of this pandemic, and I hope that this piece captures the tenuous sense of optimism we’re all feeling.”
Though we might still walk alone, vaccines are coming. Spring is around the corner. As we venture outdoors, from beyond our own four walls, we are getting closer.
“The Lockdown Show” features a range of more than 60 artists from across the GTA who belong to the Gallery 1313 collective. You can find it online — www.g1313.org — until the end of March.