Hong Kong-based artist Johnson Tsang is known for his astounding ability to manipulate clay into exquisite porcelain sculptures. Inspired by the world around him, Tsang has incorporated the consequences of the coronavirus into his latest work, titled Still in One Piece III. In the delicate sculpture, two faces—covered tightly in their face masks—kiss.
By focusing on the details of the human face covered by the face masks, Tsang calls attention to the transformation in how people interact during COVID-19. Seeing figures kissing while wearing a face mask is jarring, as society has been conditioned over the course of the year to keep physical distance. Yet at the same time, the gesture is touching. It’s a reminder that even with the need for separation, we can still enjoy moments of closeness [ … ]
Through lockdown, we can be more as one
Perhaps one thing that has been afforded to us through the weeks and months of lockdown and of wearing masks is a greater sensitivity to how we communicate with other people.
Perhaps many of us have smiled at a friend or neighbour, or at a person we meet on the street who has done us an act of kindness, and then realised he or she cannot see that smile.
And so, we turn to other ways of explicitly communicating our love and appreciation for the gestures of kindness offered.
Perhaps this has made us more aware of how we share kindness and love within our communities.
In love, and with our sexual partners, we can bring this to our lovemaking.
Through an experience of distance, in terms of our habitual social communications, we intuitively learn to say again, I love you, and to communicate this above all other messages with more than a smile – and perhaps with additional delicacy.
It’s maybe a good thing to learn again how to communicate love to our partner.
Read more about this exhibition at My Modern Met – here.