"Plague by Gaslight" from the current show at my gallery

When we'd talked last year about a show, the artist's original concept was about the pandemic. I wasn't 100% sure about it at the time, just because we're all so exhausted of Covid by now, I was worried it might resonate poorly with people who've lost loved ones, or just the general blah of 'it's already been years of this'.

In hindsight, it would have been fine. At least, by now it's fine. People were still very agitated, one side about their "rights", and the other about the public unwillingness to do the bare minimum to protect others.

I still see masks regularly, which I think is a good thing. I haven't been wearing one for quite some time, but I keep them around in case anyone asks.

But anyway, when we talked about it, the artist thought he'd maybe want to hire dancers in these plague doctor masks. Would have been neat, but the original plan didn't work out either way. I understand certain relationships changed, major life events occurred, and ideas had to make a hard left.

I didn't get the full story on this one, so I only have my own assumptions to go by. I think it's a play on the emotional abuse tactic of gaslighting and the politicization of the pandemic. I think it's obscure enough that it could be interpreted either way. By either side of the fence, so to speak. Whether or not there are other more personal meanings behind this one, I dare not ask. That's for the viewer to interpret.

I'll get to more of that as a concept later. As much as I'm trying to push a narrative approach to my artists for sales, I've had a couple artists whose work comes too directly from trauma to tell everything the art has to tell. I can't in good conscience try to push them to speak if it forces them to relive pain.

Until then, I say, as per usual, if you like what I have to show, you are more than welcome to send us a tip. I split them half and half with whoever I've currently got up in the space.
https://ko-fi.com/rachelsvparry