Apr 9, 2020

How Art and Animation Interpret the Coronavirus Crisis

[The coronavirus may have exposed the weaknesses of our society, but it has also brought out the talents of artists. As the crisis deepens, animators and illustrators are responding to the crisis with creative homebrew, whether out of boredom, a sense of social obligation, or to allow inspiration to flourish in turbulent times.

Below we reprint a completely subjective selection of coronavirus art. If you have found a piece of artwork that you think deserves to be on this page, please let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page or on our social media accounts.

Dave Stofka, a freelance animator and website developer living in Ohio, has created an affectionate parody of the classic sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," replacing the characters with the state's Governor Mike DeWine and Health Director Amy Acton. At the time of this writing, the video has received nearly 1 million views on Youtube and over 1 million views on Facebook in two days:

After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's speech on the role of children in the crisis, marketing manager Tyler Walsh reinterpreted it with Lego animation. When he posted it on Twitter, the PM quickly replied: "I think my kids, and many others, will be thrilled by this."

At a press conference last month, @JustinTrudeau sent a message to Canadian children about how they can play their part in the fight against #COVID19 message about how they can play their part in the fight against #COVID19. It's a powerful statement and one that deserves a version that every child will want to see. #StayHomeSaveLives #LEGO pic.twitter.com/7r4rMX6tax

- Tyler Walsh (@walsht) April 5, 2020

In the UK, the government is appealing to the public to continue blood donations during the crisis. Animator/illustrator Knifeson Yu posted this short anijam on Twitter, which was echoed by animators:

I made this little animated coop: blood donations are plummeting due to Covid-19. Nowhttps://t.co/1yao8wxdpaにアクセスして、最寄りのセンターを検索し、献血の方法を調べてください。#KeepDonating pic.twitter.com/sJ3yxrpTRq

- K?i?son ? (@knifeson) April 7, 2020

Meanwhile, 23 artists based in Mexico and Colombia have joined forces to create The Day When Everything Stopped, a picture book that explains the crisis in language children can understand. The picture book was a hit in its Spanish-language edition (online or PDF) and has since been translated into several languages, including English. The book is not copyrighted. The project was coordinated by Pixelatl, a platform for artistic exchange and creative development in Latin America.

Illustration at the beginning of the article: artwork by Oscar Pinto for The Day Everything Stopped.