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Quarantine Reflection

Cheryl Quejada-Canning

Artwork Details


Single-channel video: still photos, no sound, duration 5:01 minutes

Access Statement


The video below contains a series of images that are shown one by one, like in a slideshow. These images are reproduced below the video on this page, and described in alt text. The video has no sound.

Photo of a brown paper bag in the centre of the frame. The angle is above the bag looking into the contents, which include 2 sandwich bags, two salads in take away boxes with a clear top lid and a tomato., as well as indeterminable contents. The paper bag is on a dark wooden floor lit by natural sunlight coming in from the right side off screen. Top centre of the image is the end of a silver chair leg, with a small black wheel. In the right corner a part of a white wall comes into frame.
Image is of three blurry paper bags in a row, and a small rubbish bin next to them, against a white wall. The photo is taken through a small cylindrical tunnel made from a rolled up piece of paper. The tunnel creates a telescope illusion.
A brown paper bag has a obscured face drawn on it with a patterned background. The face has light brown coloured skin, the eyes are black, and the left eye is lower than the right. In the centre of the face is a vibrant pink shape replacing where the nose and mouth would be. The shape distorts the face, and has a white streak down the centre of it. The left cheek is dark brown with light brown spotted sections. The right is a red sand colour with a light brown section under the eye. The left side of the face from the top of the eye to just above the jaw is outlined by a orange circle. The left side of the face is gaunt and distorted whereas the right is more proportioned. The face has tight black curly hair which takes up the right corner of the bag. In the middle of the hair is a small green shape, which is shaped like a brain and has thin red lines throughout creating a root system effect. The left part of the bag is a chequered pattern. the alternating squares are yellow shaded squares with yellow circles inside them, and pink squares with dark pink circles in them. The bottom right of the bag is not drawn on. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown bag has a obscure fishlike drawing on it. The fishlike drawing is a circle, and has two blue googly eyes in the centre of it. The shape has three different types of fins in it, the left is a striped grey fin, the right is thickly striped dark red and white, and the top right fin is rounded with dark red in the centre and grey on the outside with red dots. The fishlike shape is predominantly a mustard green with white and blue dots. Behind the fish are four squares, two of them are pink with a teal outline, and two of them are teal with a thin pink outline. The squares match diagonally. The out skirts of the bag is not coloured in. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has three white circular flowers drawn on it. The flowers have a yellow bud centre and a thin red stem. The flowers are surrounded by six large leaves. The leaves are a mixture of dark green, red, lime green, brown, and yellow shades. The top left flower has “933x2” thinly written in pen. The background of the bag has not been coloured in. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a side profile of a person drawn on it. The profile is faced to the left, the person is wearing a round hat. The hat is patterned with different coloured dots of purple, pink, white, red and green. The person has a white circle covering their ear, and also a white stripe from their forehead down to under their jaw covering over their eyes and cheek. The persons nose and lips are quite pronounced. The person is wearing a red collared shirt with a coat over the top. The coat is black with a large lime green collar. The background is not coloured in, and “933x2” is written in think black pen at the top right of the bag. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has an ocean sunset drawn on it. In the top centre of the bag is a large bright yellow sun. The bottom of the bag has sea rocks pointing towards the sun, with sand in the middle above them. There is a thin horizontal line of blue ocean, above it are silhouetted mountains shaded light pink and orange. “933x2” is written in thin black pen on the right of the bag. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown bag has a vase with a plant drawn on it. The vase is a terracotta colour and is shaded darker on the left side. The plant has five leaves, which are all half light green and dark blue. The plant has two small vines which are fruiting small blue dots. The vase is on a dark brown surface at the bottom of the bag. In the background above the brown surface is a thin mustard yellow section. On the right side of this section is a green eye with a red and white pupil. The skin under the eye is a pale cream colour, the eyelid is mustard yellow. The rest of the background above the eye and the mustard yellow section is an orange and red shaded section. The top right of the bag has the number “933x2” written in thin black pen and is in a pink shaded circle with a white outline. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a thin vine like branch drawn in the centre with leaves attached. The leaves are a dark red, with white and green stripes on each leaf. The background of the vine is a muddy brown colour with the words “ Enjoy! {Smiley face is drawn}, Ana” layered under the vine. The vine is framed by a thick brownie green shade, around the whole outskirt of the bag. The number “933” is written on the top right and is circled in red with a white streak in the top left of the circle. The paper bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has two brown silhouetted figures. The figures are standing next to each other with the arms touching each other. The figures are shaded in with a mixture of light brown, dark brown and black. The background is patterned with checkered squares. One square is dark mustard green, and the other is a red circle with eight short lines poking out of the circle evenly distributed around it, and a white background behind it. The number “933 x2” is faintly written in black pen in the top left of the bag under the layered drawing. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a face drawn in the centre of it. The face has light brown coloured skin, green lips outlined with a dark green, and large lime green eyes with grey pupil which are looking upwards. The person has large ears, a thin nose that is coloured dark brown. They are wearing a black beanie like head piece. The person is wearing a blue spotted skivvy. The background is not coloured in, and has “933x2” written in thin black pen, just to the right of the persons forehead. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a picture drawn on it. The top right of the bag is a pale brown face, with brown eyes. The head is diagonally tilted with the top of the head in the top right corner. The upper torso of the person is wearing a bright orange buttoned top, with horizontal zebra stripes of yellow and green shades. The background behind the person is a dark grassy green. The number “933x2” is drawn over the persons forehead .The paper bag is hung up on a wooden easel.
A brown paper bag has a sunflower drawn on it. The sunflower is at the bottom of the bag and half of it is cut off by the bottom of the bag. The centre of the flower is a mustard green, surrounded by a brown outer ring. The petals are a mixer of yellow, orange and red shades. Behind the flower is an ocean blue colour that continues up till just above centre of the bag. Above the blue is a pale white rocklike formation across the top of the bag. The top of the bag is coloured with a pale white. The number “933x2” is in the top left of the bag and is encased by a red outline which forms a cloud like shape.
A brown paper bag has a face drawn in the centre of it. The face is a pale brown shade, it has large mis-shaped oval eyes with each brown pupil a different size. The head has no hair or ears and has no definition for its nose except for two black thin lines to create its nostrils. The mouth and jaw is covered over by a white semi circle the continues to the bottom of the bag reaching each bottom corner. In the centre of the semi circle is a pale mustard yellow circle. The background of the image is a brownie green shade. The number “933x2” is very faintly written just above the left eye of the face. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a face drawn in the centre of it. The face is a pale brown shade, it has large mis-shaped oval eyes with each brown pupil a different size. The head has no hair or ears and has no definition for its nose except for two black thin lines to create its nostrils. The mouth and jaw is covered over by a white semi circle the continues to the bottom of the bag reaching each bottom corner. In the centre of the semi circle is a pale mustard yellow circle. The background of the image is a brownie green shade. The number “933x2” is very faintly written just above the left eye of the face. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a face drawn in the centre of it. The face is a pale brown shade, it has large mis-shaped oval eyes with each brown pupil a different size. The head has no hair or ears and has no definition for its nose except for two black thin lines to create its nostrils. The mouth and jaw is covered over by a white semi circle the continues to the bottom of the bag reaching each bottom corner. In the centre of the semi circle is a pale mustard yellow circle. The background of the image is a brownie green shade. The number “933x2” is very faintly written just above the left eye of the face. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a face drawn in the centre of it. The face is a pale brown shade, it has large mis-shaped oval eyes with each brown pupil a different size. The head has no hair or ears and has no definition for its nose except for two black thin lines to create its nostrils. The mouth and jaw is covered over by a white semi circle the continues to the bottom of the bag reaching each bottom corner. In the centre of the semi circle is a pale mustard yellow circle. The background of the image is a brownie green shade. The number “933x2” is very faintly written just above the left eye of the face. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has an image drawn on it with shades of dark green, teel, red, purple and olive green. The left and right side of the bag is coloured in a deep teel and dark green shades, with the shades getting mixed with the colour red lower on the bag creating a deep purple shade. The middle of the bag is a trunk, with thin red squiggly lines drawn vertically down to create texture of a tree. The base of the tree widens out in a pyramid shape, and is coloured with a grassy green shade. The top right of the bag has “933x2” written on it, and is circled in red. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
A brown paper bag has a circular shape drawn on it in the centre. The shape consists of a square and thin rectangle shaped pattern, with shades of dark green, light green and lime green. The top left of the bag has multiple small brown house shaped like figures, all with a white circle around each. Each are connected through a root like system drawn on with shades of pink, red, blue and white in it. The top right of the bag under the layers of the roots is the number “933 x” as well as “sorry no oats”. The bag is hanging on a wooden easel in front of a white wall.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag which has a picture drawn on it, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. The image is a black square on a tilt, outlined in red. The square has white lines over it creating a numeric table shape. Behind the black square is a green background with horizontal white lines clumped together, top, middle and bottom of the bag. The number “933” is faded under the green background, top right of the bag.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag with a drawing on it, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. The centre of the bag is covered in a floral like pattern with green, white and lilac colours outlined with dark purple. In the top right of the bag is a circle with a dark red eye in the centre and pink and yellow shades surround it. The number “933 2” is faded in red behind the circle.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag with a drawing on it, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. The handbag is predominantly off white, and dark red in the centre. It has a dark grey buckle flap with red dots on it. The handle is a wiriey brown handle. Both sides of the handbag have protruding sides that have a checkered pattern of white, red circles and green squares. “933” is written in black pen and circled with a red marker and small triangles pointed at the number.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag which has been drawn on, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. “933x2” is written top left of the bag in black pen. The writing is encased by the drawing which is made up of leaf like shapes in red, yellow, light and dark green shades. Thin brown lines are drawn within these shapes creating a web like effect.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag which has been drawn on, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. There are three sections drawn in. The top left of the bag has triangle shapes which contain circles and stripes of light blue, dark red, yellow and orange colours. The top right of the bag is coloured in with orange and dark red shades, with white and brown centred circles. The bottom of the bag is coloured with dark brown, red, green and blue shades. It contains block like shape patterns and is boarded by dark red centred circles outlined with a dark green. “John love heart… big congrats!!!” is written in red with “933x2” written in black top left of the bag.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag which has been drawn on, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. A womans face has been drawn centre of the bag. Their skin is pale, eyes are blue, they have black hair down to the shoulder and are wearing a collarless white top. The left side of the bag is an obscure drawing. It has three sections ,dark green with vertical yellow, orange and blue striped pattern. Red background with circles, this section starts wider then becomes thin from top to bottom, the third section is an orange flame shape, connected to the red section, the left side of the woman’s face is against it. “933x2” is circled in red at the top right of the bag.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag which has been drawn on, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. The drawing is of a women. The woman’s face is centre of the bag, they have dark coloured skin, and brown eyes and have horizontal stripes across their cheeks and nose, which are red, yellow earthy colours. . Their hair floats upwards and is multicoloured vertical stripes of brown, yellow and green earthy colours. The woman has identical cherry shaped orange earrings. Their neck and shoulders are striped white and brown horizontally. The number “933” is written top left over the hair and partial forehead of the woman.
Image is a photo of a brown paper bag which has been drawn on, hanging on a wooden easel, in front of a white wall. The bag is coloured with a thin coat of green oil pastel, parts of the brown bag is still visible. The centre of the bag has an oblong shape with a brown outline, inside the shape is a painted green leaf, teal leaf, dark red oval shape, sporadic blue and red connected dots and dark teal and dark green shaded areas. The top right of the bag has a drawn circle with “933 e2” written in dark green. The circle is outlined by a red and green line.
Image is of three blurry paper bags in a row, and a small rubbish bin next to them, against a white wall. The photo is taken through a small cylindrical tunnel made from a rolled up piece of paper. The tunnel creates a telescope illusion.
Image is a photo taken of a brown paper bag outside a hotel room door. The photo is taken from inside the room looking down at the bag in the hotel corridor. The centre of the image is the paper bag which is open and contains indeterminable contents in plastic bags. The floor is divided by the doorway, inside the room is wooden slats and the corridor is carpeted dark grey with thin sporadic white and black stripes. On the left side of is a close up of the silver door handle, and door locking mechanism and the right side is a white wall.

Artist Statement


The body of work I am presenting is a series of 25 artworks created while complying the 14-day Quarantine for overseas arrivals. This was a requirement by the NSW government for all travellers arriving from overseas. My partner and I were stranded for 15 months in the Philippines due to a lockdown and the cancellation of overseas flights.

We arrived on the 14th of May 2021; on that day we were processed and after 8 hours we were sent to a health quarantine facility not far from the airport. We were facing a AUD4,000 quarantine cost. No visitors were allowed. Meals were supplied twice a day and health providers would check on us 4 times a day. Health providers would knock on the door, and we would mask up before opening to have a health check. When meals were delivered, again, there was a knock on the door. Our food was left at the door, and we would open to collect. We weren’t allowed to have contact with those delivering the food, nor were we allowed to step outside our door.

Quarantine Reflection or *[Pagmumuni sa Panahon ng kuwarantenas/Pahiwalay], Tagalog translation, is a reaction of my state of mind/emotion while in quarantine. I drew everyday using art materials ie oil pastel, pastel colored pencil and repurposed the paper bag carrying our food deliveries. Every day I looked forward to my paper bag of brown in color with markings 933 indicating our room number and 2x the number of occupants. The question “I wonder how much trash are collected from hotel quarantine food deliveries”? This is what inspired me to repurpose those paper bags. I was able to create an artwork that I fondly called “trash to canvas”. I am proud of this body of work, a lived experience by an artist in quarantine during Covid19 Pandemic. Quarantine Reflection repurposing trash to canvas is a testimony of trash to art to treasure. Each of the 25 pieces are a statement of various issues from both the past and the then present.

Artwork Credits


Artwork and videos by Ningjada (Cheryl Quejada Canning)

Responses

Room 933

Gaele Sobott

I spoke to Cheryl Quejada about her most recent project, ‘Quarantine Reflection’. The work was commissioned by Headquarters, a disabled-led digital space committed to centring and celebrating the work of disabled creatives and the diversity of their life experiences.

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Watching Cheryl create art…

Ken Canning

Watching Cheryl create art while we were in quarantine had a profound effect on me. The fact she used the bags our food was delivered in was an amazing idea. The whole process had such a positive effect on me....

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