Prague (AFP)
Luxury masks and visors stand alongside paintings, graffiti, photos, sculptures, music and videos, in an exhibition in Prague dedicated to art inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The traveling exhibition, which features more than 2,000 pieces created by 500 people from 60 countries, is a tribute to artists whose work has kept people "sane" during the pandemic, told AFP the initiative commissioner.
"One of the main motivations" for this exhibition, "was the fact that the artists helped us to survive the pandemic mentally, so this is a way of thanking them," said Pavel Stastny, artist himself.
When the Covid-19 epidemic hit Prague in the spring, Pavel Stastny put a mask on a large graffiti depicting the face of John Lennon on Prague's iconic Lennon Wall.
This wall is famous for having served as a meeting point for those who longed for freedom under the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia, until 1989.
According to Mr Stastny, the masked Lennon design caught the attention of French collector Blaise Runart, who added the image to his online art collection.
"I joined a group of artists whose work was focused on Covid-19," Stastny said.
He set out to collect images of works by his peers around the world via social media.
Some of the works exhibited in Prague have benefited from the mediation of embassies and several videos have been shot and provided by Unesco, as part of its Next Normal campaign, focusing on life after the pandemic.
"The works are fantastic, they capture the ideas and impressions of artists during the pandemic," visitor Terezie Pokorna told AFP.
"One made fun of her, the other took her very seriously," she remarked.
From Prague, the exhibition will go to other Czech cities, possibly also abroad.
"We are in talks with Belgium, Paris, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Thailand," Stastny said.
© 2020 AFP