Artwork Appreciation
In “Self Quarantine,” we see a closed parking lot full of scooters parked in roughly backward “S” shape, but the people sitting on their scooters all wear paper bags over their heads and do not move, staying quietly in place as if restricted. It is a reflection of the self-health management and isolation that became part of a new daily life routine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and everyone was expected to do their part to prevent the spread of the disease. The numbers on the motorcycle license plates also suggest either the number of affected people or the medical record numbers for patients during the pandemic period. The artist, Chen Yung-Hsien, implies through this work that isolation and surveillance are not only external measures, but also become a part of individuals’ inner psychological states, thus reshaping the boundaries and behaviors of action space and interpersonal communication.