"The current global crisis clearly took a toll on our mental health. And art has always been this coping mechanism and a natural way to express my moods. During the initial days of quarantine, I found myself constantly scrolling through the phone, keeping myself updated with all the news, and getting anxious over it. But I couldn’t get off the internet because it was the only place where I could interact with people. It felt like living inside a shell, all curled up with white light flashing on your face and what seemed like the only way to survive. Over the days, I slowly got accustomed to the new lifestyle, some healthy and some not-so-healthy. I needed to continuously listen to something to distract myself. Music, movies, and TV series kept me afloat. The artwork Night on Earth was inspired by the Netflix docuseries that reveals how nocturnal animals have adapted themselves radiantly to survive in the night. I have always been a night owl most of my life. And in the current situation, with the change in the daily routine where we are losing track of time. I saw myself turning into a completely nocturnal being like the ones in the deep sea! Finding positivity and humor in little things helped me stay sane in those uncertain times. For someone who overthinks everything, living alone in this situation only made things worse. I was consciously whacking my thoughts that would pop up like moles in Whack-A-Mole. The 3 AM thoughts are the worst. While trying to sleep, as I count the sheep I see them time traveling through the portals of my subconscious mind. All these emotions and vivid introspection are what ended up as an inspiration to this series. Perhaps it was not all bad, I started being more mindful of the things around me, grateful for all the privilege and the virtual love from friends and family. Every day, I look forward to watching the sunset and practicing yoga. However messed up things are, for that brief moment, it’s all calm and beautiful. Overall, Quarantine mood was a series of mood swings."
-Preethika Ashokan
