UCKIOOD

UCKIOOD in the time of COVID

March 27 2020

We create sculpture which connects us to our childhood. It is joyous, colorful and bright. It is deliciously tactile. Whether in a gallery or as public art, both adults and kids want to touch it, hug it and just spend time around it. It is not artwork that can be experienced at a distance.

Right now, fine art practitioners who produce artworks that rely on physical and sensory engagement are suffering. 'Going online' doesn't cut it.

We are regarded as frivolous at the best of times and, at the moment, society really does not need us. Neither can we provide an antidote to disease, nor are we essential cogs in the economic wheel.

That said, we are going to keep on fighting to survive, to prove our worth, just as we do every day during 'normal' times.

We will continue to be in the studio over the coming months, producing new public art and gallery pieces as best we can. As 2020's exhibitions and events are cancelled and buyers turn the other way, money will become very tight. And we don't expect anyone to bail us out. Relief funds largely do not cover individual visual artists - our income is speculative rather than actual. Unlike performers who get paid to show up, we largely show up on the off chance we might get paid. Big difference.

But there is a silver lining. If we can somehow hang on, when this horrendous period is over, we hope that work like ours will be finally have mainstream (and commercial) value in the new cultural landscape. Artworks that aren't po-faced, esoteric, or inward looking. Artworks, which instead through color, light, texture, gesture and emotional connection, can bring people together and elicit collective happiness.

Stick with us over the next few months. We're gonna need your kind words, your messages, your likes, your comments, your shares and your support to keep us going.

Thank you!

Missy & Kim ❤️

P.S. Stay the fuck home! The sooner we knock this on the head, the quicker we can all go back to normal.