an ongoing COVID memorial by Bay Area artist Tina Rath (in tandem with the exhibit in Knoxville)
This installation represents the staggering global loss of the COVID-19 pandemic, with each of the more than 7 million lives lost symbolized by an individual golden circle. REQUIEM seeks to make this unimaginable number tangible. Every drawing includes handwritten names, honoring individuals and acknowledging their unique lives. Though the pandemic years may feel distant, the collective grief and trauma remain with us. The REQUIEM Project invites us to engage in a quiet, meditative process of healing through art.
Throughout the exhibition, including opening night, visitors are invited to take part in “Compassion Drawing” sessions. Using gold watercolor, one can contribute their own circles to the project. Each circle—like a fingerprint—is distinct, reflecting personal touch. Multiple people work on the 50 x 72″ drawings, creating a rich tapestry of varied circles expressing the collective nature of The REQUIEM Project.
Whether or not you personally lost someone to COVID-19, “Compassion Drawing” sessions are open to everyone, no art experience is needed. Children age 10+ are also welcome, and all materials with simple instructions will be provided. You may also write the name of a loved one who died from COVID-19 on a circle. Their name will be added to a growing global database of those lost, compiled by the artist.
If you’re unable to attend in person but would still like to honor someone, you can email their name(s) to [email protected]. Tinawill personally include them in the artwork and send you an image and the drawing number they appear on.
Tina Rath is an American artist living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tina’s practice moves fluidly between studio jewelry and drawing. She explores ideas in distinct bodies of work and projects guided by neuroaesthetics, Buddhist philosophy and explorations of beauty.
Preferring natural materials that have stood the test of time and will remain long after she has passed, Tina taps into the inherent beauty and “life force” or vitality that exists in materials such as metal, hardwoods, leathers, and gemstones. Obsessed with time, her labor intensive approach includes repetitive movements, patterns and marks that result in forms that build up and come to resolution over time.These accumulations serve as a way to focus and concentrate the mind allowing for a momentary sense of timelessness or deep stillness.
