How ‘doom and gloom’ letters in lockdown inspired grim art
Frank To says ‘pointless’ government information on the pandemic could have been better spent helping the NHS, writes
HE HAS made “explosive” works of art using gunpowder that were bought by Star Trek star Sir Patrick Stewart, but now Frank To is focusing his talents on creating “doom and gloom” Covid letters.
The 38-year-old, who lectures at the University of the Highlands and Islands and works as a figurative painter in Glasgow, was horrified at the
£6 million spent on “pointless” letters sent to residents about coronavirus when the UK was already in lockdown.
So he decided to transform the letters by drawing plague doctors, the Grim Reaper and bees – a symbol of pollination and hope – on them.
He believes the money could have been used to benefit the NHS rather than provide information people had already known about, most of which went straight in the bin.
Mr To, who usually works as an artist in Glasgow while also lecturing at the university in Inverness, found himself drawing to maintain his sanity during lockdown.
Sir Patrick collects his work – often made using gunpowder – but Mr To found himself “trapped in a room” in Inverness, away from his materials which were in Glasgow, and had to improvise and make his own charcoal.
He said the artworks capture a moment in time, and poked fun at Dominic Cummings’ lockdown breach to Barnard Castle, which Mr To was horrified by.
But Mr To, who was born to Chinese parents living in Scotland, said it had shown factions of racism within the UK and he has been called a “chink” and a “gook” during the pandemic.
He said: “When I received the letter my immediate response was they are going to be chucked in the bin. It was already a bit late, it was halfway through April when they were sent, about three weeks after the lockdown.
“I’d never been a fan of Conservative governments but then there was Brexit and the ‘Rethink. Reskill. Reboot’ campaign to encourage people to leave the arts.
“I was really disappointed with that, and a lot of artists don’t make enough for their income to be subsidised by the Government. I am always trying to do things which are clever and make people think, and those letters are quite symbolic of the pandemic – this is the first time in 100 years there has been one.
“The cost of £6m for the letters could have gone into the NHS, and I am always trying to be sustainable so I upcycled them. I am trying to make art of our times, which is symbolic and relevant.”
Many of Mr To’s artworks cost around £200 and he is thrilled to think they gave people pleasure in the lockdown.
The social activist has had his work shown alongside household names, including Damian Hirst, and said
having to improvise when he was a student living on a very tight budget at the University of Huddersfield helped him adapt to the lockdown.
He said: “I had to go back to my training and improvise and innovate, for four months I was trying to keep myself sane by drawing on envelopes.
“There is a plague doctor and Grim Reaper trying to hitch a ride to Barnard Castle, a plague doctor holding a Dominic Cummings mask – the pandemic as highlighted the comical value of politicians.”
He also illustrated some letters with bees – a symbol of pollination and
hope. He added: “These letters are doom and gloom and people don’t want to be reminded of it, but I wanted to put beauty into the whole thing.
“Coronavirus was caused by us not respecting nature, we know it came from bats. I’m Chinese by ethnic heritage but born in Scotland and my dad would say ‘Chinese people eat anything’ but I disagree with that.
“I’m against racism but I also disagree with Chinese cultural attitudes towards wildlife and herbal remedies.
“I think the pandemic has kind of brought out the worst in people, I have been called a ‘gook’, a ‘chink’, and told
‘Chinese people should be put in a concentration camp’.
“I have heard English people saying ‘but we own Scotland and Wales, we can cross the Border’ and I don’t agree with people jeering at cars at the borders.
“I’m very aware that my peers are struggling and it is shocking to think how many people are resorting to drastic measures.
“But I am glad to think my artwork has brought people joy in the lockdown.”
I am always trying to do things which are clever and make people think