A pandemic makes it difficult to work as a person who photographs people. But in fairness to the raging viral storm, it doesn’t just kill people. An existential crisis nudges us to ask what gives our work meaning. As a former devout Sunni Muslim, current atheist, and person who once wrote a Detroit Free Press op-ed that argued the overwhelming evidence showed Michael Brown’s shooting was justified, I find meaning in questioning assumptions.
The COVID-19 scourge has revealed a number of questionable assumptions. Social media prayers and unflagging church attendance show many people think shelter can be found in an intercessory god. I think this assumption should be challenged (especially since taking this assumption seriously can make people die). So, unable to photograph other people, I create an assumption-challenging still-life.
“The Creation of Corona” is inspired by Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam.” According to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Adam is the first human God creates. In those faith traditions, God is further portrayed as all-powerful and the creator of all things. This raises a challenging question: if God is the creator of all things, isn’t God also the creator of the virus that has killed countless mothers, father, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters? If God created the virus, why would anyone expect God to save humanity from the virus He created?
In Michelangelo’s painting, Adam and God’s hands are parallel. To suggest subjugation, I placed the human hand lower. The fingers are cast downward suggesting fealty. Desperation. God’s finger is pointed issuing his mercilessly murderous creation.
I believe death is final. I believe the universe doesn’t care if we live or die. As such, I believe we each have a responsibility to take care of each other. I believe it is important to infuse these beliefs into the work I create. I believe doing so is what makes my work distinct from another person with a camera and a few lights.
Finally, I believe humanity will survive this scourge. I believe we will be saved by scientists, nurses, doctors, and an informed citizenry that follows the shelter-in-place orders from the WHO and CDC.
The salvation we seek is in our own hands. Godspeed.