Initially conceived as a set of postcards, Greetings from Pandemic Island evolved into a pictorial bridge between the 1918–19 influenza and COVID-19.

Spanning a hundred years, the series documents the crises by questioning personal and collective responsibility, humanity, and gross indifference but also highlights new and long existing layers of racial and socioeconomic disparities catalyzed by the epidemic.

There was an urgency to capture and express emotions before they evaporated by creating disconnected (at first) images into what eventually became a visual essay. Gradually the compositions grew to an unexpected number, replacing an early notion that this would be a short series. The project eventually evolved into a case where art imitates life—as the crisis proved long and desperately endless—so became this chain of images reflecting it.

Urgency also dictated for these collages to deliver their visual impact simply through combined fragments, distorted proportions, or accidental double-exposures. Instead of well thought-out manipulation and carefully layered effects, photos that strongly attracted my attention during research were embraced as the cornerstone for new compositions.