Partitioned - Kim Hurt

Photograph
16" x 20"
 
This piece deals with themes of isolation, the impulse to protect the most vulnerable and out innate desire for human connection. I wanted to express the worry a parent feels raising a child during a global pandemic. The struggle to decide whether or not to send a child to in person school feels like a choice between protecting a child’s physical health or mental health. The worry being that there is no good or right choice.
 
I used PPE gowns, masks, and gloves to emphasize the physical separation between people and as a reminder of the real sense of danger being around other people poses. The moody lighting and fog add a feeling of uncertainty about the surroundings.
 
The smaller girl clings to her doll for comfort and squeezes her eyes shut as if to deny the situation. While the larger girl looks over her shoulder directly at the viewer as if to ask what you will do to help her.