These Illustrated "Quarantine Diaries" Are a Joyful Ode to Life Before—and After— the Pandemic

Sometimes, great art is created under trying circumstances (we've all heard the anecdote about Shakespeare writing King Lear during a plague-induced quarantine.) At the onset of California's shelter-in-place order in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Konstantin Kakanias—a Greek-born illustrator, who lives in Los Angeles—began creating a series of daily musings about what he missed, how he was staying sane (or not), and the new, often darkly hilarious realities of lockdown life. The result became Mrs. Tependris: The Quarantine Diaries, an exhibition of new works on paper, now on view at the Gavlak Gallery in Los Angeles through August 22.

Kakanias's whimsical paintings typically have humorous commentary on art, design, travel, and luxury. The Quarantine Diaries has plenty of that—there are nostalgic tributes to carefree dinners with friends, musings about getting Botox, and glamour shots of Mrs. Tependris cleaning away in her high heels. But Kakanias's paintings also respond to the serious issues of recent months, like protests in the wake of George Floyd's death. They are a snapshot of life in 2020, for better and worse, and a hopeful nod toward the future. Click through to see works from Mrs. Tependris: The Quarantine Diaries.