“DisCONNECT”: Loneliness in the Age of Covid-19

To reach “disCONNECT,” visitors had to navigate the winding roads of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay area, away from the crowds, monumental billboards, and shopping malls, and up a 1950s building that was, until recently, carved into multiple residences. This was a fitting setting for the exhibition, which brought together immersive installations and mixed-media projects by 14 artists from Europe, Iran, and Hong Kong to offer insights into the psychological effects of house arrest and isolation during a pandemic.

Under lockdowns, we have also had to make the most of confined spaces. Hong Kong artist Jaffa Lam’s Rocking in the Mini Zen Garden (2020), located in a bathroom, was a particularly inventive example. Lam used rocks that lined a path near her abode and everyday amenities such as thread and toilet paper to create an ersatz rock garden. The rocks gave off a green glow, while Lam lit the rest of the bathroom in a blue light, creating a dream-like space to help one’s mind wander and relax. A white rocking chair and a stereo playing white noise from behind a potted plant enhanced the tranquility of Lam’s pandemic hideaway.

Nearby, sculptor Isaac Cordal’s three cement figurines, Homie III, Homie IV, and Isolated (all 2020), each looking frustrated and standing on a balcony, convey the displeasures of having one’s movement restricted. Below, another man lay in a hammock—a blue surgical mask suspended from an electrical cable—with a phone in his hand, highlighting society’s reliance on technology during the pandemic.

Quarantines are not all bad though, at least according to the street art duo Herakut, whose surreal installation Silent Battle (2020) populated a room with supersized cardboard children in animal costumes. One figure plays chess with a monkey, hinting at the liberating power of children’s games. Contradicting opinions that seclusion hinders personal growth and has adverse consequences on the mental health of children, the duo instead argues alone time may offer the opportunity to tap into one’s imagination and evolve into a more appreciative and kinder version of oneself.