I was locked in quarantine in Saigon 2021 and Covid 19 was spreading outside. How could I help? I started to paint things in my apartment to auction out on-line, with 100% of the money going straight to charities in Vietnam that help those in need because of Covid.
When I started the project I had no idea if it would work or not, but together with everyone that placed a bid and people that helped to share the project, we collected: 31,900,000 VND !
This project shows how art and design could be used to help in a social crisis like the covid pandemic.
I painted in total 16 items and each of them has before and after images as well as photos from the process. There are several news publications about the project both in English and Vietnamese. For more information email;
hej@sofiaholt.com
*Video edit below by Ramos Rise
In total I painted 17 items that I found in my apartment. You can paint almost enything, but I tried to choose a variety of items to reach different target groups with the auction. I also wanted the item to have a rather large and smooth surface, to be suitable for painting. Almost all iteams are named after people I thought of during the quaranteen. Each of them have sliding images below showing the process, before and after painting.
BOBBY
Unused white textile shoe that was laying around in the wardrobe
CHESSY
The chessboard top is thought to cheer up and motivate you to play a game with your housemate, to easier keep your mental health in balance during the pandemic.
MILKY
I wanted to reach out in different communities to spread the project and collect as much money as possible. I thought a painted tennisball would catch the attention from tennis players. Inspired by the many evenings just staring at the starry sky during quarantine.
STELLA
By using various techniques, I thought to catch the interest from a wider range of people. Stella is made by throwing paint onto the stool, similar to the "Action painting" that Jackson Pollock got famous for in the 1940-50´s.
MORMOR
My grandma used to work with framing pictures, and Mormor means "grandma" in Swedish. I wanted these frames to be neutral in colour so they don't steal the attention from the picture that'll be placed inside. I choose to re-use the space pattern from the tennisball.
ROSIE POSIE
Most items are named after people I thought of and missed during the time in quarantine. Rosie - Posie is one of the nicknames of my mum.
ELINA
This was the first item I started to paint. Without a plan I had no clue how it would end. While some of the other items, I knew before how I wanted them to look like.
COCO
A set of 8 bowls made from coconut chell. In this project I wanted to show people that it's possible to renew almost anything in your home by repainting or decorating it. My personal favourite items are the ones that serve an everyday use/need, like these bowls.
EBBA
The sign on this tray is called "doubble happiness" and originates from China. It's commonly used at weddings in Vietnam to bring happiness to the couple.
CHOI
I had several ideas on artwork aiming to activate and encourage play during a boring quarantine at home. Choi is one of them.
STEF
Stef the fan, or Stephan who this item is named after. A friend of mine that always brings energy, fresh air and a smile.
KYLE
I thought this mini guitar was one of the most suitable for the project. Music is a good source for cheering up and the covid quarantine has been a perfect time to practise creative projects at home, maybe learning an instrument.
KARIN
To motivate people for quarantine home training.
LEA
In this project I wanted to use the painted items as encouragement to donate money for charity, but the item doesn't have to be the central piece. I thought even something simple like this torn plant could collect a valuable sum.
CHEERS
Sometimes a glass of wine can help against the worries and stress created from the pandemic. I had already painted this artwork before I started the project, but thought it was a nice addition to the collecting theme and the charity auction.
The winning bidders chose these charities:
Saigon Children's Charity : will be distributing 16 backpacks for the people in need.
Social ChangeMakers : delivered food supply in their LockdownKindness charity effort.
Hội Bảo trợ trẻ em TP.HCM - HCMC Child Welfare Association : will transfer them to the Cau Han Project, a project that supports providing education for poor children that doesn't go to public school.
The Little Rose Shelter - Vietnam : provide food, clothing, education and entertainment for the children currently living in the shelter.
LIN Center for Community Development : donations will be accumulated in a funding pool of Covid-19 Response Community Fund and contributed to 11 selected organizations which are responding and helping their local communities
AMÉLIE
Just as the plant, these clothes pegs doesn't have much item value, but thought as a symbol for the bidders donation in the auction.
Tickets that we had to bring to go outside for food and pharmacy shopping
Many areas in Saigon was closed off completely as there was many covid cases inside. Photo to the left by Ramos Rise.
The streets in Saigon are usually crowded with mostly motorbikes. Here you see the empty street during the curfew. Photo by Milan Smets.
The project got some publicity by several newspapers both in Vietnam and Sweden, this article is from my local home town Säffle.
Interview about Painting Against Covid on Vietnamese VTV4. There was also a clip shown on VTV1.
