3 creatives on transformative culture in 2020
The writer, the artist, the actor: three creatives contributing to the zeitgeist of 2020 share the culture they’ve been soaking up over lockdown and the changes that have emerged from a year of global reckoning
Wunmi Mosaku
The British-Nigerian actor stars in HBO’s new action-thriller, Lovecraft Country, set in the 1950s Jim Crow era, and upcoming Netflix horror movie His House in the fall. She has spent lockdown in LA with her husband.
On the dichotomies that have defined 2020
“You have a global pandemic on the one hand and a global awakening on the other. My industry has been devastated by this in one respect, but in another we’ve been relying on reading, watching TV, listening to the radio and podcasts more than before. There’s so much going on that’s bigger than you, but at the same time you’re aware that you’re part of the global community. The whole world is resonating differently.”
On why the issues of Lovecraft Country remain vital
“The show is set in the 1950s, and it feels so relevant – relatable in so many ways. We haven’t moved past the days of this racism and injustice: it’s relevant today, it would have been relevant two years ago, it would have been relevant 20 years ago. [But] I think [with] the mentality of the globe right now, it might hit differently because there’s a realization that it’s a structural problem, that we need all hands on deck to fix it.”
On using lockdown to learn new things
“I’m in LA, away from my family during this really emotional, difficult time. My focus has been on learning about the world. I’ve started gardening: my mum’s an avid gardener and she, my sister and I have been gardening on FaceTime together! It’s been a really nice way to connect.
“I’ve also been learning Yoruba. I’m interested in the decolonization of my own culture and what I know of it, so I really want to reconnect with that. I love fabrics, so I’ve been looking into authentic fabric printing. Earlier this year, I visited the Djoletex Industries fabric store in Accra, Ghana, which uses traditional methods of printing and dyeing.”
On why she’s been re-watching movies
“I’ve re-watched 13th because I didn’t live in America when I first saw it in 2016, so it was [with the mindset of] ‘that problem over there’ rather than ‘that problem all over the world that affects me, too’. I watched it with sympathy rather than empathy and kinship, so I’ve been revisiting my heritage, my connection with my African-American brethren. I’ve been thinking about how I used to think, what I watched and how I felt about it then, and how I feel about it now.
“My husband and I have also been watching our favorite films from our childhoods, which has brought a real sense of joy – My Cousin Vinny, Uncle Buck… And we’ve been working through Spike Lee films again. I’m trying to keep joy alive as well as the questioning, in a juxtaposition between the two.”
“[My new] show is set in the 1950s and it feels so relevant in so many ways – we haven’t moved past the days of this racism… But I think with the mentality of the globe right now, it might hit differently because there’s a realization that it’s a structural problem, that we need all hands on deck to fix it
”
Frances Cha
The Brooklyn-based writer recently released her debut book, If I Had Your Face, a novel about toxic consumerism set in South Korea. Her family spent the first part of lockdown in the suburbs of New Jersey with her in-laws before flying to Korea.
On how her lockdown reading list has provided much-needed escapism
“During the insanity of this year, I have read a lot – escapism all the way. Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan; The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung; Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang; Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid; Offerings by Michael ByungJu Kim; The Road to Raqqa by Jordan Ritter Conn. [They] were all extraordinary in different ways.”
On the creatives bringing her joy during lockdown
“In the art world, I was recently introduced to the work of the painter Oh Soon-Hwan. His works are unutterably beautiful and whimsical and calming, and I recently purchased a painting by him that is now my favorite thing that I own. On the digital side, KangHee Kim – @tinycactus – brightens my [Instagram] feed. I love her surrealist collage work, and how quietly vibrant and surprising her images are. I would love to commission a [piece of] work from her one day.”
On the magic of sharing books with her children
“Children’s picture books have been my saving grace during this time. There is something so magical and escapist and innocent and deep and poignant about a really wonderful children’s picture book. I read them with – and often without – my children. Incandescent ones I have read recently: Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley; Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney; A Different Pond by Bao Phi.”
On exploring an old passion to inspire her next project
“I have resumed my obsession with looking up and visiting hanok – homes built using a traditional Korean style of architecture dating back hundreds of years. It is my dream to own and care for an old hanok one day. I am setting my next book in one and so this time around I have been paying a lot of attention to how different people would move around the house according to their role.”
On how she wants to see the literary world change beyond this year
“The call for diversity in publishing has been very loud and very clear, but honestly, it is up to readers to actually buy the books. Personally, it has been so wonderful to see and read so many books by writers of color that were published this year alone, but I would love to see more diversity reflected in children’s literature. When I was writing a children’s book a few years ago, I was told that the topic was too niche, because it had a Korean protagonist and theme. I wonder if things are different now.”
“The call for diversity in publishing has been very loud and very clear, but it is up to readers to actually buy the books
”
Cao Fei
The Chinese multi-media artist – whose immersive exhibition Blueprints opened at London’s Serpentine Gallery in March before closing for the duration of lockdown – has used this time to reset and reconnect.
On her exhibition opening either side of lockdown
“It was already a blessing in misfortune that my show – Blueprints at the Serpentine – was able to open as scheduled in March, even if it was closed after opening for only two weeks. Just thinking about the number of exhibitions that were forced to cancel, I’m already blessed that Blueprints had its moment before the pandemic hit us, and after a long wait, the Serpentine finally reopened earlier this month. Therefore, I think it is probably going to be the most memorable exhibition of my life, as it appeared and reappears at a historic moment, when people are facing a common disaster under a common destiny.”
On how the creative industries are re-emerging
“With lockdown relatively eased, everyone seems to have this urgency to rush out of their home. In the midst of this global crisis, going to art galleries means much more than it did before, as we are desperately seeking a kind of religious comfort. By immersing ourselves in arts and culture, we hope to receive a spiritual resonance with the artworks. Perhaps such an abstract demand is actually concrete and it guides us to step into museums again.”
“In the midst of this global crisis, going to art galleries means much more than it did before, as we are desperately seeking a kind of religious comfort
”
On how the current climate reflects the themes of her work
“To some extent, the restlessness and anxiety in my works are closely related to a series of crises that we’re going through right now, as this current halt of the world seems like one of breathing pauses during an opera.”
On what the art world may like look beyond this year
“Some galleries and institutions may close one after another, and anything ‘online’ will or has already become an indispensable structure. There will be fewer interactive and immersive works exhibiting in the future, and the whole museum experience might go back to as it was before the Modernist era – the audience kept a certain distance from the paintings and sculptures. Checking out an exhibition may be less casual and therefore become a ritual again.”