Self

The Self is a series of watercolour illustrations that made the authors’ empathy
and reflection of ‘isolation’ visible. This artwork presents the contemporary
visual arts research, which is motivated by the context of pandemic disease,
personal and subjective concerns. Since the beginning of 2020, the outbreak
of COVID-19 has affected humans all around the world. It caused many
people in isolation mode. Watercolour painting was chosen as a medium to
conceptually express the “human body” under isolation. ‘Human body’ and
‘transparent film’ are the two key elements in the illustrations. The “affective”
quality of art contributes to a new understanding of the experience of trauma
and loss (Bennett, J. 2005). The authors hope to raise the public awareness of
isolation, as well as the pandemic, by increasing audience empathy.

Reference: Bennett, J. (2005). Empathic Vision: Affect, trauma, and contemporary
art. Stanford University Press.