A hundred years from now, students will look back at the coronavirus pandemic as a landmark not just in politics and world health, but in fashion.
At least that’s the premise of painter Dometo “Dede” Esse’s upcoming art exhibit.
Esse noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines — sheltering at home and masking — had a palpable effect on the women she met in her day job as an eyelash technician.
COntributed photo
“I would meet women who were so worried about becoming invisible in the pandemic,” she said. “They want(ed) to keep up with their beauty.”
Esse explores that theme in “
Fashion and Beauty in the 2020 Pandemic
,” a bold painting exhibit opening Dec. 22 at the Rochester Art Center.
If Esse was to paint in “such a monumental time,” she decided, she would reflect what these women went through. Many of her paintings revolve around women’s beauty and appearance, she added.
Contributed / Dede Esse
“Women and fashion give so much flair and color to history, and art will play a central role in illustrating their place and significance during a period as remarkable as this,” her exhibition statement reads. “How did a young woman keep up her appearance during the pandemic? How was it possible for a woman to feel beautiful behind a mandatory mask? This exhibition answers these questions in vivid, saturated colors and shapes for future generations to unfold.”
Esse received a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council to begin work on the project in March, and put the last touches on the pieces in early December.
This exhibition will be detailed, portraying a multitude of women — some at home, some facing COVID-19 head-on — “going through the pandemic, looking very beautiful.”
She wants visitors to “marvel” as they walk from piece to piece.
“Right now, the major thing that I want people to take from all of my paintings is to get in touch with the magic within themselves,” she said. “I think we get so caught up in worldly things like trying to pay our bills, trying to do everything right in society and keeping up with our responsibilities, that we forget. There is this infinite pool of so much beauty that is in us.”
What: “Fashion and Beauty in the 2020 Pandemic”
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, Dec. 22 through April 17
Where: Rochester Art Center, 30 Civic Center Drive SE
Cost: $5 for adults, free for those 21 and younger
