Record of COVID-19 Captured by 976 Artists

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Works depicting the realities of the COVID-19 situation, such as self-quarantine abroad, the loneliness of single-person households, and longing for family members who cannot be met in nursing hospitals, are meeting audiences.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council Korea announced on the 4th that they have selected a total of 976 works through the 'COVID-19, Recorded through Art' project. This project captures the changes in our daily and social situations caused by COVID-19 through the creative perspectives of artists, records them in various artistic forms, and shares the results. With a total budget of 4.5 billion KRW, it supports artists' creative activities and archiving.

Applications for this project, which was held from September 9 to October 8 last year, received a total of 3,228 submissions across three fields: 'Literature,' 'Visual Arts,' and 'Performing Arts.' Among them, 976 works were finally selected through expert evaluation based on suitability, creativity, concreteness, and value. Works that recorded the changed daily life due to COVID-19 accounted for 78.4% (765 works), while creative works accounted for 21.6% (211 works).

Regarding the selection status by age group, those in their 30s recorded the highest selection rate with 28.1%, totaling 274 works. People in their 40s submitted 200 works, those in their 50s 215 works, and those in their 60s and 70s also showed interest with 155 and 40 works respectively, demonstrating diverse age group participation in this project.

An official from the Arts Council explained, "It is fortunate that support funds for creative and recording activities can be provided, albeit late, during this difficult time due to COVID-19," adding, "This project was promoted to record everyday scenes of COVID-19 from quarantine sites to homes and schools through art."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.