Oscar Oiwa The Great Depression

Year: 2020

Frame size: H 62 cm × W 81.5 cm × D 3.5 cm

Quarantine Drawing Series
The Great Depression

In New York State, the recent outbreak of infections is now under control, with the daily death toll decreasing from around 1,000 at its peak to approximately 200. However, a new crisis has emerged. Over the past six weeks, 33 million people across the United States have applied for unemployment benefits, meaning one in five American workers has suddenly lost their job. Public schools and food banks in the city are working tirelessly to provide enough meals. This drawing offers a modern interpretation of a photograph that symbolizes the Great Depression, taken in 1937.
Oscar Oiwa / 12.5.2020

In 2020, the world faced the shared challenge of COVID-19. With projects and exhibitions postponed globally, Oscar Oiwa, confined to his Manhattan apartment, pondered how he could contribute. "Fortunately, I have the ability to express my feelings through art." During this period of isolation, he created 20 digital drawings from March to June 2020, collectively titled the Quarantine Drawing Series.

This artist's imaginative journey culminated in a series of silkscreen prints, shared with audiences worldwide, coinciding with his first solo exhibition at Gallery Nomaru in 2021.
The Quarantine Drawing Series has since been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2021), the National Museum of Art, Osaka (2022), and other venues.