Drive Through Art Show Virtual Tour

"Yad Corona" by Shane Mahon
Amazon boxes, toilet paper, toilet paper roll

Artist Statement

A yad (Hebrew: יד, literally "hand"; Yiddish: האַנט hant) is a Jewish ritual pointer, popularly known as a Torah pointer, used by the reader to follow the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah scrolls.

Our reaction to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus continues to change. I remember what it felt like in March. It feels different now.

I started my piece during the toilet paper shortages. The mood was lighter then. Our reaction was simpler. We shared a pragmatic optimism. We shared a sense of responsibility. Political and ideological differences diminished.

Within this context I focused on a choice. It was a choice of attitudes. One side was focusing on truth and hope. The yad represented this side. A yad is a bible pointer. It points to the bible. The bible points to Jesus. Jesus is where hope and truth are found. The other side was worry. There was a lot of talk about touching your face. I thought a hand, as if for face touching, was a good symbol.

That’s how my piece started. Unfortunately, I had to change it. Attitudes are different now. Political and ideological division returned. I see the hate.

Now the piece represents a different choice. It is the choice of how we see others. We can demonize people we disagree with. We can point fingers. Sadly, the yad changed. It doesn’t show a bible pointer anymore. It’s just a finger. However, there is hope. It’s shown on the other side. The open hand represents something different. It is now positive. It symbolizes serving. It symbolizes seeing people as individuals. Forget about Corona opinions. There are more important things. People are sick. People are without income. People are lonely. People are dying. We can serve them. We can help.

Oral Statement