Art Hero Project: A tribute for health care workers
who sacrifi ced their lives during COVID-19 pandemic
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
As the United States begins to
emerge from this very long struggle
of coping with the weight of the
pandemic, the impact of those lost to COVID
is vast. Grief and remembrance take
many forms.
Over 1,000 medical providers lost their
lives to COVID-19 while saving lives of
their fellow citizens.
Moved by these sacrifi ces, Susannah
Perlman, a veteran of exhibiting art using
digital technologies through her ArtHouse.
NYC, is honoring them with the Art Hero
Project, where an artist working with the
family creates a portrait that represents
their loved one.
In homage to those lost and creating a
form of memorial for their families, on a
beautiful spring afternoon this past weekend,
the portraits of healthcare providers
lost to COVID screened in Chelsea’s Big
Screen Plaza behind The Klimpton Hotel.
This is a fi tting tribute during what is also
National Public Health Week.
Family members have already received
the original painting. On-site, they received
a small-framed copy, which many held during
the afternoon projection.
“It becomes a leap of faith for them to
come onboard,” says Perlman.
Families choose from a series of artist
samples the particular artist to do the
The family of Dr. Anjali Verma who came from India and settled and practiced
in New Jersey honor her at Big Screen Plaza.
portrait; that’s when they begin to realize
the sincerity of the project.
Those memorized and honored with the
Art Hero Project are nurses and doctors of
many different specialties, a radiological
technologist, a respiratory therapist, and
an EMS worker. A great many are foreign
born.
PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY
They provided their service of medical
care from the New York metro area as well
as hospitals, clinics and nursing homes
nationwide— from Florida to California,
from Louisiana to Vermont.
“Once the portrait is complete, they have
been truly grateful and appreciate that the
unique character of their loved one has
been captured in a timeless work of art,”
says Perlman.
Being involved in this process of remembrance
affects family members in different
ways. It wasn’t so easy for the son of Quen
Agbor Ako, a nursing home Registered
Nurse who spoke of the stress of the last
year since he lost his mother. One daughter
of a Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
doctor couldn’t bring herself to attend this
remembrance while her mother with other
siblings, present at the outdoor projection,
was extremely grateful for being part of the
project.
For families who have not been able to
have traditional funerals this experience,
with the outdoor exhibition honoring their
loved one’s memory helps offer a much
needed meaningful recognition of their
heroism.
Artists with various realistic styles
formed the creative pool from which families
chose the painter to portray their loved
one. The results are very personal, artistic
representations, capturing the loved one’s
essence.
In New York City, 20 Hero portraits
from the Tri-State area were also part of
the digital display on the LinkNYC kiosks
(public wifi -fi and device charging stations).
Additionally, earlier this month in a continuous
projection, framed backlit images
exhibited the Hero Art Project in windows
on 8th St.
Digital art gets physical home, buyers in Union Square gallery
BY DANIEL FASTENBERG
REUTERS
Digital art, whose prices can
now rival those of Old Master
paintings, is on display at a new
physical gallery in New York that aims
to show how such pieces can fi t into the
home or offi ce.
Digital artist Beeple made headlines in
March when his video artwork “Everydays:
The First 5000 Days” sold for over $69
million at Christie’s. The video was an
example of a digital asset called a nonfungible
token (NFT), which exist only
online and have exploded in popularity
recently.
So why do they need a physical space?
Ed Zipco, founder of the Superchief Gallery
NFT, which he calls “the fi rst physical
permanent NFT gallery space in the world,”
said it can fulfi ll the artist’s “ideal intent”
to show a high resolution digital canvas on
the wall.
The Superchief Gallery NFT director and co-founder, Ed Zipco is seen in his
gallery in Union Square on April 7, 2021.
“It shows you how you live with the
work,” he said.
DAN FASTENBERG/REUTERS
The gallery, which sold $150,000 of
art in its fi rst week in March, accepts
cryptocurrency payments. While digital
images are easily copied and shared
online, tokens provide proof of ownership
for fi les that supporters say are
the equivalent of the original signed
painting.
At the gallery in Manhattan’s Union
Square neighborhood, the work of fi ve
artists will be shown each day through
the end of May, for a total of 300 artists,
including Swoon, James Jirat Patradoon
and Mashkow. Artists receive 85% of the
sales proceeds.
The NFT of Mashkow’s “NFTesla” on
display is a rotating digital image of an
original physical version exhibited at Superchief’s
main SoHo Gallery.
Superchief Gallery NFT breaks new
ground, said Cody Kennedy, 44, whose
NFT work, “In the service of,” is on display
there.
“One of the best things about showing in
this gallery in particular is… this is what’s
coming next,” he said.
4 April 15, 2021 Schneps Media