The new normal
A digitally curated collection, 2020
Cover photo by Gustavo Minas
As countries went into lockdown, newscasters and government officials warned that once the quarantine ends, we will be entering a new normal.
As the world slowly reopens, tiptoeing outwards in anticipation of a second wave, we have encountered a reality that one year prior, would have seemed like stepping into a sci-fi film.
Our new normal is anything but, and once mundane activities, from eating out to gym class, have been rethought in the light of the pandemic.
People exercise at Inspire South Bay Fitness as the gym reopens. California, USA. June 17, 2020. Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images
São Paulo, Brazil. July 2020. It depicts the new normal. Thiago Paiva
Social distancing means 6ft. New York City, USA. April 24, 2020. Dereck Larsen
Students come to school wearing handmade face masks for protection. Soacha, Colombia. March 11, 2020. Juancho Torres / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Buddhist students come arrive at the Molilokayaram Educational Institute wearing face shields. Bangkok, Thailand. April 15, 2020. Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
Agustina Canamero, 81, and Pascual Perez, 84, kiss through a plastic screen to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Canamero said that in 59 years of marriage the couple had never spent such a long time without physical contact. Barcelona, Spain. June 22, 2020. Emilio Morenatti / AP
Daily life at the central bus stop in Brasilia, currently the second country in the world in number of cases. Brasilia, Brazil. May, 2020. Gustavo Minas
A boy who forgot a face mask covers his face with his T-shirt. Tbilisi, Georgia, September 24, 2020. Ann Dzagania
A woman wearing a face mask walks past a piece of street art depicting an NHS worker. London, England. April 21, 2020. Andrew Redington / Getty Images
As a bike protest left Maria Hernandez Park, two organizers gave water and other goodies to local kids. Bushwick, New York, USA. July 2020. Camilo Salas
“Israeli government imposed quarantine to those coming from Europe therefore plane was empty.” September 5, 2021. Between Italy and Israel. Kim Sidi
“Time suddenly changed me. The person whom I was in mid-march was completely changed into a different person by the end. I am not that person who used to play football, went to cinemas, and use to break the daily routine and came home late, eventually getting a good scolding, but now it never happens because now I am completely at home. And I found out that it's not only me but the entire human race that has changed. Once the lockdown was imposed the only friend of mine was my camera as it was not a COVID carrier. Thus I started expressing the present situation through it.” April 2021. India. Ribhu Chatterjee
“I was shocked one day to see this written on a walking trail near my condo. It showed such anger. Interesting that someone took the time to try and erase the swear word..” August 23, 2021. A well used walking trail in Port Moody, Canada. David Carey.
“This composite photo is kind of an unusual angle but it is the way I was reminded on a day-to-day basis about covid. I was also struck by the various techniques people used to close off the urinals. Some were so professional and some were pretty sloppy.” 2021. Canada. David Carey.
The photographers
This exhibition is a curation of known professional photographers, as well as images taken by everyday people, capturing the realities of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photographs have been curated from news sources as well as social channels.