Pandemic Portal 39
This limited edition collage print series is about the rapid transformation and awakening moment that was catalyzed by the pandemic in 2020. Never in our human history have we undergone such massive and rapid change. The pandemic “offered us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. Nothing could be worse than a return to normality. Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next,” explains Arundahti Roy.
From a personal view, the pandemic allowed me to recognize that I was moving at an unsustainable pace. I used to be traveling nearly once a week and in 2020 when I created this piece, I was mostly in one place. This allowed for me to be more rooted, present and balanced.
The pandemic helped me recognize the great importance of collective care and friendship. Self-care is important, but it is not enough for communities to survive. We must move beyond individualism towards collective power building and care. We have to show up for each other and especially protect those who have been marginalized as well as the most vulnerable. We must confront the economic system that prioritizes profits over people and the planet. In moments of disillusion and fractures such as the pandemic, we have the opportunity to sow ideas for a different kind of future.
