Independência ou Morte

silkscreen on BFK Rives, wooden frame
h: 57, w: 76.5 cm (sheet) / h: 62, w: 81.5, d: 3.5 cm (frame)
ed.15
2020

* It will take about 4 weeks from the order to delivery.

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[Artist Statement]

Let's Go on a Trip!

Suddenly, life has changed. I have stopped taking the subway, going to my studio, walking around the city, seeing movies at the theater, and meeting up with my friends. I spend my days in quarantine, going outside only to shop for food or to get a little fresh air. Projects and trips have all been postponed. The city has become the new epicenter of the pandemic and life has been made more difficult for all of its inhabitants. Many people have lost their jobs and are getting desperate about paying bills. News from the world outside is far from encouraging. Entire countries have closed their borders. The US presidential response in itself has been a disaster. I think about what I can do to remain as mentally creative as usual while stuck in my Manhattan apartment. God gave me the gift of transforming feelings into visual art. And using this power, I have started to make a new series of drawings: an imaginary trip in the midst of life under quarantine. The result is like a diary of insights about my past, my present daily life, and the future. I have been experimenting with complex digital techniques to produce simple black-and-white drawings. These original artworks will hopefully be exhibited at the end of the year in a physical museum. In the meantime, enjoy this little preview!

Oscar Oiwa

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Independência ou Morte
After China, Italy and the USA, now my home country Brazil is the world’s new coronavirus hotspot. I am worried about my family and the close friends I have living there. In Brazil, education was always a big problem, even among the so-called “elite”. President Bolsonaro is a good example. A disaster as a national leader, he has fired two Secretaries of Health in the middle of this crisis for wanting to follow the WHO social isolation policy and for refusing to approve Chloroquine drugs as treatment. Thousands of people have already died unnecessarily as a result of the country's lack of health policies. This drawing is a re-interpretation of perhaps the most famous painting in Brazil. The original painting, created by Pedro Americo in 1888, is called “Independence or Death,” and represents the proclamation of Brazilian independence.
(Oscar Oiwa / 23.5.2020)