A Sunday Afternoon in the Park (2022) engages with the utopic ideologies of control and function, reflecting on the challenges of navigating daily life and social interactions amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The piece draws inspiration from an archival photograph, Tan Mu subtly documents the nuances of living in New York City during such a unique moment in history. The painting portrays a grid-like arrangement, where a crowd of individuals occupies the park, spaced equally within geometric, contained zones. These boundaries, which have become common in urban settings, create a sense of order amid the chaos of the pandemic. At the center of the composition, a woman is depicted facing forward, her face concealed by a white mask. The work ultimately reflects the mechanisms of urban design that regulate the movement and interaction of individuals, revealing the tension between public health protocols and the persistence of everyday life.

Q: What inspired you to create A Sunday Afternoon in the Park?

Tan Mu: This work was inspired by a photograph taken by Johannes Eisele on May 17, 2020 at Domino Park in New York City. The image appeared in CNN’s article Domino Park circles keep New York City sunbathers in check. I was immediately struck by the visual power of the scene. The title deliberately echoes Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, creating a dialogue between a historical image of leisure and a contemporary moment shaped by crisis.

The photograph captures a distinctly pandemic reality. People gather outdoors to seek sunlight, fresh air, and a sense of normalcy, yet their presence is strictly regulated by white circles painted on the grass. Each group exists within a predefined boundary. The scene feels both familiar and unsettling. It reflects a collective desire for connection and freedom, while simultaneously revealing the invisible rules governing public space at that time. This tension between leisure and restriction became the core motivation for the work.

Q: What visual language did you use to express this moment?

Tan Mu: I used bold and open brushstrokes to construct the grassy background, emphasizing the expansiveness of the park itself. Across this space, three rows of circular forms impose a rigid structure, highlighting the contrast between the openness of public land and the enforced separation of individuals.

The composition centers on a single circle in the foreground, occupied by a masked figure facing the viewer. This figure acts as a quiet anchor for the painting, inviting a direct encounter. Within each circle, people continue everyday activities such as talking, exercising, meditating, or sunbathing. These familiar gestures underscore the persistence of daily life, while the circular boundaries emphasize isolation and control. The visual language reflects a strange coexistence of continuity and rupture, where ordinary leisure unfolds under extraordinary conditions.

Q: How did your personal experience of isolation during the pandemic influence this work and others from this period?

Tan Mu: In March 2020, during the COVID lockdown, I began painting at home. Physical distancing limited direct contact, and communication shifted almost entirely to digital platforms. This environment of isolation prompted me to reflect deeply on separation, connection, and how public and private spaces were being redefined.

During this period, I created a series of works responding to social events, public health, and technology, including Philadelphia (2020), Minneapolis (2020), Thermal Imaging (2022), and Touch (2022). I also produced works such as Isolation (2020), A Sunday Afternoon in the Park (2022), and Yoga Isolation (2022), which focus on public space and the new routines that emerged during lockdown. At the same time, I examined medical and scientific breakthroughs in works like Vaccine (2021).

These paintings function as personal reflections and historical records. They allowed me to process the era emotionally while maintaining a sense of creative urgency rooted in empathy and humanity. Through these works, I aim to evoke both connection and distance, capturing the emotional complexity of a period that reshaped how we relate to one another and to the world around us.