COVID-19 brought out the artist in me, Selva Ozelli on art surviving

Selva Ozelli is an artist, who throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has been sending artwork to international competitions and digital art shows. I spoke with Selva about adapting to COVID-19 and what plans she has next.

Firstly we spoke about her thoughts of COVID-19 and how she has kept herself busy by producing and curating different works of art:

“COVID-19 is the most devastating plague to ravage humankind this century. Every day the number of patients infected with coronavirus is rising globally and taking the highest human toll in the US according to John Hopkins University and the World Health Organization.

This highly infectious virus was first contracted in November 2019 in Wuhan, the capital city of China’s Hubei province, through animal to human contact at the Huanan seafood market.

While the market was shut down on January 1, 2020, the virus since has rapidly spread to at least 200 countries and regions like a tsunami, necessitating a worldwide lockdown, quarantines, border and business closures, social distancing rules which have hindered –among other’s holding physical art shows.

As we try to survive this pandemic by adhering to lockdowns, social distancing rules, part of me wonders whether the ecological imbalance caused by humans might have contributed to the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world.

Whether nature is calling for us to wake-up? Needless to say, the art world has been profoundly affected by this COVID-19 crisis with the shutting down of galleries, museums, art centers, economic hardship, struggle, and loss of human life.

As a universal language, I am making paintings that I am sending to COVID-19 and Climate Change themed international art competitions, curating and participating in similarly themed digital art shows.

So far this year I curated seven digital art shows, participated in two and my paintings have been acknowledged in six international art competitions.

The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the importance of our digital economy, and also accelerated its adoption and development, particularly in the area of digital currencies which are transmittable via mobile payment systems.

To acknowledge Prof Erdal Arikan’s contribution to the development of 5G mobile technology, and Vitalik Buterin’s contribution to the development of digital currency Ethereum I made their COVID-19 themed portraits which are part of my solo digital art show titled “Art in the Time of Corona”

https://www.facebook.com/527889230574675/posts/3281134275250143/. These two portraits are among fourteen of my COVID-19 themed portraits selected in the United Nations COVID-19 Briefs international art competition.

I donated photographs of three COVID-19 themed portraits which include that of Vitalik Buterin’s portrait titled “Simply Trying to Survive ” which received favorable art reviews to the portakalcicegi art project which translates to orange blossom project.

This project is a partnership between the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) and Port Art Gallery. As part of the project, artists donate their artwork to be exhibited and sold at very reasonable prices to raise funds for the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV).

This year the coronavirus pandemic unveiled the huge challenges and risks health workers face globally including — infections, violence, stigma, psychological and emotional disturbances, illness, and even death.

This project aims to raise funds for orphaned children of healthcare professionals who lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic. The donated artwork goes on sale at www.portart.org from September 15 to October 15, 2020.

Selva discussed how she worked for former One Direction singer Niall Horan over the course of the pandemic, contributing two pieces of artwork to his latest album:

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, musicians had to cancel their tours. For example, world-renowned Irish singer and songwriter Niall Horan who launched his second solo album “Heartbreak Weather” in the midst of the COVID-19 quarantine, had to cancel his tour similar to many other musicians.

To help Niall Horan promote his new album “Heart Break Weather” digitally, via social media, I made two paintings for two songs in his new album: the title song “Heartbreak Weather” and “Black and White” which were recently selected in Niall Horan’s international art competition.

My painting titled “Heartbreak Weather” depicts the out of control wild bushfires of Australia which ravaged the country at the beginning of this year and was the second wildfire themed painting I painted which got selected/acknowledged in an international art competition this year.

My other wildfire themed painting titled “Wildfires in the Time of Corona” is part of my solo digital art show and is one of three paintings that was selected at the World Environment International Art Contest in Bihar, India”.

We moved on to discuss Selvas last year, and how during the last 12 months she truly came into her own in terms of managing artwork as a passion:

“This has been an unprecedented year with the worldwide corona pandemic, the quarantine, which brought out the artist as well as the curator in me.

At the beginning of this year, at our atelier, we had initially planned to have a Climate Change themed group art show at the Balat Culture Center, which I was curating based on my series of articles on digital technology adoption, solar energy and tax policies in the jurisdictions with the greatest carbon emissions.

These articles were published by the Irish Tech News as well as “The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change – Hong Kong” in addition to over 100 publications around the world.

But then unexpectedly we were hit with the COVID-19 related quarantine during March where atelier members were instantly cut off from one another.

We kept in touch digitally. In late May very close to our art show launch date, the Balat Culture Center informed me that we would have to postpone the physical art show due to COVID-19 related social distancing rules.

Yet I had planned the date of our group art show to correspond to the weeks of United Nation’s World Environment, Oceans, and Desertification days.

So, I had to very quickly switch to launching a digital art show with the help of Cem Ustuner the owner of the Pinelo Art Gallery.

Five artists from our atelier– including myself– who participated in the group show “Teymur Rzayev’s First Digital Climate Change Art Show” https://www.mocc.cuhk.edu.hk/en-gb/hub-categories/news-and-developments/item/2256-atelier-teymur-rzayev-s-first-digital-climate-change-art-show-pinelo-art-gallery-20200527 launched solo climate change themed digital art shows which I curated to correspond to United Nations International Days.

As these days mark occasions to educate the general public on issues of concern, to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity.

In my solo digital art show, which I am relaunching again on World Patient Safety Day – WHO September 17, 2020, I explore the theme of COVID-19’s Tsunami like impact on the world “Art in the Time of Corona”: https://www.facebook.com/527889230574675/posts/3281134275250143/;

The good thing about a digital art show—which is likely going to be part of the art landscape going forward– is that my artwork reached a wider viewer audience globally.

My group and solo digital art show was published by over 90 Museums, Culture Ministries, and NGOs in over 30 countries around the world so far.

She discussed her vision for the digital art exhibition and what she wants it to achieve:

The message behind my art show “Art in the Time of Corona” is to acknowledge the importance of appreciating art and who showcases it.

I want viewers of art to respect a lot of different things, such as the life of all who inhabit this world, not only humans but our relationships with plants, animals,  those who put their lives on the line to save us, and those who bring technological innovations that make life easier for humans.

As we finished, Selva spoke of her plans for the future, and what projects she has lined up for the next year:

“Amid a global pandemic, unprecedented needs, and growing insecurity, aid workers and health-care responders are staying and delivering to the world’s most vulnerable people.

Many are working in their own communities, who are going to extraordinary lengths in extraordinary times to help women, men, and children whose lives are upended by crises and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

At this time, I am focused on making COVID-19 themed paintings for various international art competitions which I will likely publish in a second digital art show before the end of this year.

Here are some of the COVID-19 healthcare hero themed portraits I made recently to honor their dedication, perseverance, and self-sacrifice as they respond to the COVID-19 crisis and the massive increase in humanitarian needs it has triggered:

The COVID-19 disease has neurological manifestations such as loss of smell, taste. Dr. Kalbiye Yalaz established the first pediatric neurology department at Hacettepe Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, where my mother worked as a pediatric neuro phycologist, so I made a younger portrait of Dr. Yalaz titled “Made Her Mark” to honor her invaluable contribution to medicine.

Dr. Yalaz’s student at Hacettepe Medical School is my childhood friend since elementary school Dr. Esma Akin who is the Chief of Nuclear Medicine at George Washington Hospital in DC, a COVID-19 hotspot.

Her portrait titled “Blurring Lines to Save Lives” is part of my solo art show and has been selected in the United Nations COVID-19 Briefs international art competition”.

If you would like to get in touch with Selva or view her work, visit the following links:

TALENTHOUSE: https://www.talenthouse.com/selva-ozelli
FACEBOOK:  SelvaOzelliArt
INSTAGRAM: @ozelliselva
TWITTER: @sozelli

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