Attack To Work: Masked Barista expresses the culture of toxic positivity in tech, denial of one’s self and forced obedience to profits

My abstract expressionist series Attack To Work: Masked Barista is an exploration of my experience working full-time in the service industry during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The pressure and expectation of productivity amidst intense collective grief, the lack of space provided to be my full self, and all the need for masking as a form of self-preservation are all themes that are present in this series.

The layers of the paintings represent the tension of trying to be authentic when being bombarded by customers and controlled by management. The precariousness of working in the service industry during a pandemic is also depicted by the tension of vibrant shades and cool and warm tones. The bright colors used in the paintings represent the fake positivity that one is expected to have when at work when it is actually incredibly unsettling to have to spend so much time there to simply not starve and face eviction.

As a leftist, I believe that the attack on workers during the pandemic is capitalism’s way of attempting to maintain power after so many people began to wake up to the crumbling of our world around us. The empire is dying and we as a people can create a better world for all of us. My paintings are an expression of my own personal struggle, but also as a commentary on the larger societal shifts, the collapse and the ascension, that affect us all. I hope that through my art, I can create solidarity around the working-class struggle and the emergence of our new world.