Quarantine Blues, from the series Quarantine Blues
This object was selected for the collection as part of an annual student-led collecting initiative undertaken by the 2021-2022 Block Museum Student Associates (BMSA), an interdisciplinary group of Northwestern undergraduates:
Ayinoluwa Abegunde ’22, Chemical Engineering
Fiona Asokacitta '21, History and Art History
Claire Corridon ’21, American Studies and Political Science
Karan Gowda ’22, Biological Sciences
Chayda Harding ’22, History
Brianna Heath ’21, Art History
Hyohee Kim ’22, Learning Sciences
Mina Malaz ’21, Art History and Psychology
Lennart Nielsen ’21, Theatre and International Studies
Giboom Joyce Park ’22, Political Science, History, and International Studies
Margeaux Rocco ’23, Economics
Joely Simon ’21, Journalism
Rory Kahiya Tsapayi ’21, Art History and Journalism
Reflecting on this series, Leonard Suryajaya has noted, “I make extravagant images with humble everyday objects in hopes of searching for an alternative outlook of our current time.” The central figure, Suryajaya’s partner, is frozen in time, surrounded by an almost otherworldly landscape of recognizable objects. The objects—everything blue in Suryajaya’s apartment—act as anchors to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scene appears familiar, yet estranged from what we might once have considered “normal.” Suryajaya represents themes of isolation, distance, melancholy, and intimacy while still maintaining levity and absurdity in this vibrant, personal work.
Read more about the selection process at Stories from the Block
