Virus attack 2021

Cricorps made this painting, Virus Attack, using bright, almost cartoonish, colours and bold lines to depict a very timely subject. I love how the artist embraces the flat surface, letting the colours butt up against each other to create a kind of visual tension. The paint looks pretty fluid, maybe acrylic or thinned oils, allowing for these clean, graphic shapes. Look at that big blue virus in the foreground; it’s got this angry expression, all sharp angles and intense colour. The artist doesn’t shy away from making these microscopic entities feel almost human, injecting personality and emotion into something we can’t even see with the naked eye. And that pink background? It’s unsettling, a sickly sweet backdrop for this battle being waged on a cellular level. It reminds me a little of some of Peter Saul’s paintings, with their wild colours and grotesque figures. It's like Cricorps is saying, "Here’s what we're up against," but with a wink and a nudge. Art doesn’t always have to be pretty; sometimes, it just needs to make us feel something, even if it’s a little uncomfortable.