Take it easy 2020

Sudheera Dissanayake (Sudjuice), Take it easy 2020, 2020, Synthetic Polymer on canvas, 101 x 73cm

'Take it Easy, 2020' emerges from the devastation of the 2019–2020 bushfires in Australia, when signs of renewal were only just beginning to appear. Amid this fragile recovery, a new and unfamiliar threat was taking shape across the ocean.

The painting shows a seated figure holding bottles of Corona beer, suspended in anxious anticipation. What began as a moment of pause soon became a reflection of the collective uncertainty that followed, when an invisible virus brought the world to a halt.

The structures holding society together began to unravel, pushing us to adapt in ways we never expected.

As fear spread and trust in institutions wavered, the lines between unity and division blurred.