SAN FRANCISCO—Harvey Milk Photo Center’s (HMPC) virtual exhibit “Beauty of Impermanence” debuted Aug. 9, and will remain open to the public until Nov 1. The series of 50 photos shot by William O’Such, features urban art from all over the city that emulates society amidst Covid-19.
“All the pieces capture an element of the impact of Covid-19 from Holly Ellis’ nurse to Nicole Haydenart’s masked bears to Sean Farrell’s ‘virtual’ patrons at Finnegan’s Wake,” said photographer William O’Such.
The name Beauty of Impermanence came from Director and Curator of the HMPC, Dave Christensen. Drawing inspiration from the fleeting nature of urban art, Christensen dubbed the exhibit in commemoration of its momentary beauty, according to the exhibit’s website.
As businesses continue to close down throughout the city, whether it’s temporary or permanent, boarded up storefronts are becoming a common sight. With hashtags like #paintthevoid circulating all throughout the bay area, murals have been taking the place empty storefronts all throughout SF. Gaining attention from locals, community Facebook pages have been sharing daily pictures of the local pieces.
O’Such noted that the murals on these storefronts have an even more transient element to them than other forms of urban art since the plywood will eventually be removed in the near future.
“I do hope that much of this art is preserved somehow and reappears in art gallery exhibits in the future, or at least inside the restaurants, stores, and bars, etc.” Said O’such.
The pieces featured in Beauty of Impermanence do everything from expressing thanks to the working class and healthcare providers, to displaying a new form of pandemic pop-culture.
O’Such also noted that each piece is consistent with its location, echoing some aspect of the business or neighborhood.
Aside from the pieces shared in Beauty of Impermanence O’Such also came across and photographed many pieces that were inspired by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. O’Such plans to share those images in the near future.