Sarah McCloskey Social distancing

Sarah McCloskey’s subject is writer, performer and visual artist Omar Musa.

‘In late 2021, prompted by yet another COVID lockdown, I began working on an ongoing series of paintings that explore themes of isolation, distance and connection,’ says McCloskey, a first-time Archibald finalist.

‘Like many of us during the pandemic, I became accustomed to spending time with my loved ones through a screen, one of these being my dear friend Omar. Routine check-ins via FaceTime became part of our “new normal” as we all adopted methods to remain connected.

‘Although I was able to spend actual “face time” with Omar before he headed overseas in 2022, when considering how best to represent him in a painting I kept returning to this image; a moment that manages to be both private yet strangely universal.

‘Whether it was distance due to COVID restrictions or distance due to traversing the globe, the familiar image of Omar’s slightly pixelated face in the palm of my hand – mid-sentence, with his eyes resting on something off-screen – feels as relevant now as it did throughout the lockdowns, border closures and quarantines that inspired it.’