Jo and Daniel With Zuma

Jo: “In this time, we have discovered a bittersweet dance between delight and grief. We have both wrangled with seriously disrupted plans, an aging parent that is suddenly inaccessible, the loss of our nourishing social activities, and the vague malaise that seems to make everything more difficult (and my art-making almost impossible). We have also found enormous joy in the little moments, and a power in living one day at a time, focusing on the things we can control. The front porch has been an oasis. Our comfort is a privilege. The new quiet is a chance to study the riotous bird songs. Glacially slow walks with precious Zuma are a time for humor (Daniel will do a Spanish-language play-by-play, as if Zuma’s every move were action in an exciting fútbol match, ending with the inevitable “gooooooooooool”). Our satisfied bellies each evening are an opportunity for gratitude. Will we soon return to planning and hoping and dreaming? Maybe. Were we always arrogant fools for thinking tomorrow would be like today, and next week like the last, and and and? Probably. For now, you can find us dancing salsa in the dining room, with wild abandon, while the plátanos maduros are frying and the tortillas keep warm…”

Lexington in the Time of COVID-19 is an artwork about people practicing social distancing at a time of a deadly virus. And also offering kindness.

Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova capture photographs at the periphery of American culture, where drag queens, discarded couches, and abandoned motel signs exist.