PLAGUE YEAR (10)

By: Rick Pinchera
February 7, 2021

We are delighted to present PLAGUE YEAR, a curated selection of HILOBROW friend Rick Pinchera’s drawings — which were posted to Instagram over the course of 2020.


For a closer look, click on image.

Optimism cards — December 2020

Immediately after Joe Biden won the presidency, I got into one of those conversations where it was declared that it didn’t matter, nothing would get done and that Democrats are their own worst enemies. On literally the day that we learned that we were unshackled from another four years of Trump’s presidency, these were the thoughts of people who probably hated Trump as much as I did. And I’m sure they were not alone.

This is how we are to an extent, how we’ve been built. To always know, and to make sure everyone else knows, that this victory you are celebrating is no victory at all. I’d be lying if I hadn’t taken that stand myself, in the past. Sometimes I even have real reason to feel hopeless. But by true nature I am not pessimistic. I can be cynical, frustrated and scared, but I often try to look for the solution, the way out, the reason to keep going.

These screen-printed postcards are me willing myself toward optimism. I tried to have fun, be silly and find a way to spread something positive in a time with so little joy. On the back of the postcard I created space for someone to write 3 things they are optimistic about. They could be anything — something small about your kids or your job or the Celtics. Or even something big like a successful Biden presidency. I just wanted to create a place to pause, think about it and register the fact that it’s not all bad news.

If we want to be pessimistic about anything, it should be that even though we know that bad news gets consumed at a much higher rate, we give in to those that thrust it upon us, allowing little room for much else.

Drawing Optimistic Otter, Optimistic Ostrich and Optimistic Octopus is how I wanted 2020 to end for me. The troubles don’t end at the end of a calendar year, but the hope doesn’t have to either.

***

CURATED SERIES at HILOBROW: LINOCUT 2020 by Lawry Hutcheson | CHALK.PRESS by Adam Netburn | PLAGUE YEAR by Rick Pinchera | NOOSFERA by Charles Glaubitz | CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Douglas Wolk | A SILENT HALLUCINATION by Alex Gerasev | BUNNY CITY by Gary Panter | HOP UP by Luc Sante | UNBORED CANON by Josh Glenn | CARPE PHALLUM by Patrick Cates | MS. K by Heather Kasunick | HERE BE MONSTERS by Mister Reusch | DOWNTOWNE by Bradley Peterson | #FX by Michael Lewy | PINNED PANELS by Zack Smith | TANK UP by Tony Leone | OUTBOUND TO MONTEVIDEO by Mimi Lipson | TAKING LIBERTIES by Douglas Wolk | STERANKOISMS by Douglas Wolk | MARVEL vs. MUSEUM by Douglas Wolk | NEVER BEGIN TO SING by Damon Krukowski | WTC WTF by Douglas Wolk | COOLING OFF THE COMMOTION by Chenjerai Kumanyika | THAT’S GREAT MARVEL by Douglas Wolk | LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE by Chris Spurgeon | IMAGINARY FRIENDS by Alexandra Molotkow | UNFLOWN by Jacob Covey | ADEQUATED by Franklin Bruno | QUALITY JOE by Joe Alterio | CHICKEN LIT by Lisa Jane Persky | PINAKOTHEK by Luc Sante | ALL MY STARS by Joanne McNeil | BIGFOOT ISLAND by Michael Lewy | NOT OF THIS EARTH by Michael Lewy | ANIMAL MAGNETISM by Colin Dickey | KEEPERS by Steph Burt | AMERICA OBSCURA by Andrew Hultkrans | HEATHCLIFF, FOR WHY? by Brandi Brown | DAILY DRUMPF by Rick Pinchera | BEDROOM AIRPORT by “Parson Edwards” | INTO THE VOID by Charlie Jane Anders | WE REABSORB & ENLIVEN by Matthew Battles | BRAINIAC by Joshua Glenn | COMICALLY VINTAGE by Comically Vintage | BLDGBLOG by Geoff Manaugh | WINDS OF MAGIC by James Parker | MUSEUM OF FEMORIBILIA by Lynn Peril | ROBOTS + MONSTERS by Joe Alterio | MONSTOBER by Rick Pinchera | POP WITH A SHOTGUN by Devin McKinney | FEEDBACK by Joshua Glenn | 4CP FTW by John Hilgart | ANNOTATED GIF by Kerry Callen | FANCHILD by Adam McGovern | BOOKFUTURISM by James Bridle | NOMADBROW by Erik Davis | SCREEN TIME by Jacob Mikanowski | FALSE MACHINE by Patrick Stuart | SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS (cross-posted from Significant Objects website) | UNBORED MANIFESTO by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen | H IS FOR HOBO by Joshua Glenn | 4CP FRIDAY by guest curators

Categories

Art, Comics