Larry Achiampong's Pandemic-Era Video Work Explores Diaspora, Family, and Colonial Legacies
As part of his ongoing series, Relic Traveller, which commenced in 2017, Larry Achiampong has produced a new video work. This deeply personal creation is inspired by letters he penned to his children during their forced separation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The piece delves into postcolonial identity, exploring themes of Pan Africanism, the African diasporic experience, and intergenerational communication. Achiampong investigates the relationship between technology and agency in the context of lockdowns that restricted movement. He highlights systemic racism, revealing that in his island nation, Black individuals are four times more likely to succumb to the virus, despite constituting only 3% of the population. The artist critiques governmental shortcomings during the pandemic, juxtaposing military readiness with inadequate public health strategies. Incorporating speculative fiction, the work weaves together traumatic and sublime narratives to reflect on the past, present, and future, ultimately examining how technology has integrated into everyday life during quarantine.
Key facts
- Larry Achiampong created a new video work as part of his Relic Traveller series
- The work is based on letters to his children during COVID-19 separation
- The Relic Traveller series began in 2017
- The project explores postcolonial identity and African diasporic experience
- Achiampong addresses systemic racism in pandemic outcomes
- Black people in his nation are 4 times more likely to die from COVID-19
- The work examines technology's role during lockdown isolation
- It uses speculative fiction elements to consider past, present and future
Entities
Artists
- Larry Achiampong