A SCOTTISH-BASED artist used UK Government letters and envelopes about the coronavirus to create drawings of plague doctors and tell the story of the pandemic.
Frank To’s drawings, designed to make a point about the amount of money spent on the communications, have been a sell-out. They include one which pokes fun at Dominic Cummings’s infamous trip to Barnard Castle.
To, 38, was horrified by the UK Government spending £6 million on “pointless” letters sent to homes in April, when the UK was already in lockdown.
He believes the money could have been used to benefit the NHS rather than provide information people already knew about, suggesting most of them went straight in the bin.
To, who usually works as an artist in Glasgow while also lecturing at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Inverness, says he found himself drawing to maintain his sanity when the lockdown happened.
Actor Sir Patrick Stewart collects his work – often made using gunpowder – but To was “trapped in a room” in Inverness, away from his materials which were in Glasgow, and had to improvise and make his own charcoal. To, who was born to Chinese parents living in Scotland, said: “When I received the letter my immediate response was they are going to be chucked in the bin. It was already halfway through April when they were sent, about three weeks after the lockdown.
“I’d never been a fan of Conservative governments but then there was Brexit and the ‘Rethink. Reskill. Reboot’ campaign to encourage people to leave the arts.
“I am always trying to do things which are clever and make people think, and those letters are quite symbolic of the pandemic.
“The money spent on them could have gone into the NHS, and I am always trying to be sustainable so I upcycled them. I am trying to make art of our times, which is symbolic and relevant.”
Many of Frank’s artworks cost around £200 and he is thrilled to think they gave people pleasure in the lockdown.
The social activist, who has had his work shown alongside household names such as Damian Hirst, said: “I had to go back to my training and improvise and innovate, for four months I was trying to keep myself sane by drawing on envelopes.
“There is a plague doctor and Grim Reaper trying to hitch a ride to Barnard Castle, a plague doctor holding a Dominic Cummings mask – the pandemic has highlighted the comical value of politicians.”
He also illustrated some letters with bees – a symbol of pollination and hope. To added: “These letters are doom and gloom and people don’t want to be reminded of it, but I wanted to put beauty into the whole thing.
“I think the pandemic has kind of brought out the worst in people, I have been called racist names and told Chinese people should be put in a concentration camp.
“But I am glad to think my artwork has brought people joy in the lockdown.”
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