Piotr Szyhalski / Labor Camp

On March 24, 2020, Minneapolis-based artist Piotr Szyhalski embarked on a daily drawing practice responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as it unfolded in real time. What began as a way for the artist to share observations of life in lockdown and the pain caused by the pandemic quickly became a daily exercise of chronicling his thoughts and feelings and reconciling them with the changes being wrought in the world.

COVID-19: Labor Camp Report consists of 225 drawings created over eight months that fall under Szyhalski’s ongoing artistic framework, Labor Camp. New drawings were posted daily on Instagram, serving as a witness to the unfolding crisis and a record of time, both labored and lost.

Szyhalski’s work addresses themes ranging from time, home, and resilience to misinformation, greed, authoritarianism, and police brutality. The series’ bold messages and images call us to action, ask us to question what is happening in our world, and most importantly, inspire hope and solidarity.

While the pandemic is far from over, we hope COVID-19: Labor Camp Report offers you an opportunity to reflect on both the events of the past year and your own experiences of this turbulent moment.