The Virus Chronicle. Covid-19. Gleason. 2020-2021. (Supported by ACNI and the Artist's Siap Emergency Grant). See Links: For Belfast Media.com write up on work of Gerry Gleason by Bronagh Lawson.
This work, I feel, looks back to my work of the 1980’s, when I used a Neo Primitive approach during the Troubles. At that time, I personally felt at times, I was living under siege. The Belfast City centre was at night empty like a Ghost Town, most people stayed close to, or in, their own areas or areas they deemed safe to socialise in etc. This Virus Pandemic seems to me to have some parallels to that period. The City again has become a silent place compared to a year ago. The unseen Virus stalking us all. This image is a hybrid for my feeling past and present. Falling into an older age group, I feel like the people in the fortress who have pulled up the drawbridge secured the Portcullis and hoped for the best. My thoughts are with the vulnerable in society who may not have the luxury of extra protection from the Virus.