Street Art and the Pandemic: The Creative Response to Crisis

by Agnese Fanizza

The streets of our cities act as the backdrops to our lives; they dictate the way we relate to our urban environments and define our modern age as dynamic. In the past year, these same streets have begun to reflect the uncertainty and anxiety brought on by the global pandemic. Rather than acting as settings to our beautifully chaotic human interactions, they now function as a purely transitional space for residents: guarded with masks, gloves, protective screens and armed with germ-killing sanitizer. In response to these changes, street artists around the world are publicly reclaiming their environments – and city lives – through their works, with the intent of strengthening our lost sense of community, bolstering moral and by portraying messages of immense gratitude.

Maupal, Un Metro! — on Instagram @maupal3000

Beginning in the Borgo Pio area of Rome, local famed artist Maupal uses cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry, to emphasize the importance of both social distancing and wearing masks. Appearing towards the beginning of the Pandemic, Maupal’s sticker art remains extremely relevant today by reminding citizens of the continued importance of these safety measures (even as the city slowly begins to reopen) while simultaneously affronting the topic with lightheartedness. He reminds us that we are not alone in having to radically adapt our lives, even Tom and Jerry must temporarily suspend their shenanigans!

Corona Extra Contagious by PYRITT — on Instagram @pyritt_artworks

Bergen-based PYRITT similarly faces our new realities through humor with Corona Extra Contagious. The play on words is sure to make us laugh as it devalues the name “coronavirus” in favor of a favorite brand of beer. The woman kisses the germy bottle, demonstrating that she is unafraid but also leaving her audience shocked – why is she doing so without a mask?

“Mein Schiatz!” by Eme Freethinker — on Instagram @eme_freethinker

Berlin’s very own Eme Freethinker comments on the greed invading our communities through a mural portraying Gollum and Scrat the Squirrel captivated by a singular roll of toilet paper – the scarcest yet most valuable lockdown commodity. In an Instagram post presenting his work, the artist expresses that “this one is just to put a smile in this hard times.”

These first three examples bolster spirits through humor and in this way demonstrate that even if our streets are physically empty and disconnected, they can remain filled with our strong sense of connectedness and optimism. These artists have effectively used recognizable elements such as cartoon characters or brands of beer to re-instill a sense of communality within their neighborhood.

These next street artists have created a similar sense of solidarity and community through their work but through appreciation. By portraying healthcare workers as a new form of superheroes, they express not only their own, but the entire community’s gratitude towards these frontline heroes.

Original Super Nurse! at NDSM Shipyard, Amsterdam — found here

FAKE’s Super Nurse! has become an icon of the unconventional but essential superhero, armed with mask and scrubs to fight for her people. FAKE has made this print freely downloadable on his website so that we – his audience and community - may freely reproduce her and our sense of solidarity and appreciation for these fundamental heroes.

Healthcare Hero by Austin Zucchini-Fowler — on Instagram @austinzart

Denver-based Austin Zucchini-Fowler similarly gives his Healthcare Hero subjects superhero status, but he arms them with boxing gloves and iridescent wings, underlining the physicality of their fight as well as defining them as supreme and almost angel-like winged beings. Since this first Gratitude Mural, Zucchini-Fowler has taken to other walls across the city to support and give his thanks to other essential workers of the pandemic such as teachers and sanitation workers. He dedicates his murals directly to these individuals: “you are our angels.”

Paul Ellis on Flickr

However, famed and established street artists are not the only individuals bringing our communities back together. In fact, I believe that the street art that has been most influential in re-shaping our environments are the banners, tags, signs, and posters put up by residents to reach out and support each other. Most common are the words reminding us that “everything will be okay”, “andrà tutto bene”, “todo va a salir bien”, and messages of personal gratitude towards essential workers followed by hearts or rainbows. These images and slogans generate warmth and positivity in a context where we feel disconnected within our cities. Even though these are not technically exponents of street art, these pieces are revolutionizing our urban spaces and our notion of society, helping us find new ways of expressing positivity, gratitude, and solidarity. These street artists (and neighbors) have transformed our cities, giving our lives a new backdrop – one characterized by perseverance, creativity, and an unwavering sense of community.

ST.ART does not own the rights to any images used in this article.