It's tough to stay creative, even more so during a global crisis. Should we really be painting or filling profiteroles? Artist and baker Alice Toich thinks so. When COVID-19 forced people out of the streets and into their homes, Toich’s ingenuity kicked in. With her series of art challenges, she’s providing a way to reconnect with beauty, pain, and each other.
From a young age, Toich was blending vibrant hues into works that reflected the realities around her. She unfolded her easel in the classrooms of Michaelis School of Fine Art and the Florence Academy of Art, where she honed her skills in portraiture and oil painting. When Toich isn’t in the studio, she’s decorating sweet confectioneries in the kitchen. In her exhibition The Icing Pink Ether, Toich painted scrumptious portraits and decadent cakes, creating a sugar-coated world where unpalatable truths could be gulped down. Although she uses both art and baking as a platform to encourage debate around socio-political issues, it’s also a form of therapy. “Creating has always been a transformative tool to translate emotions,” Toich says.
Following South Africa’s announcement of a national quarantine to curb the spread of COVID-19, Toich launched the #21DaysofArtSA challenge online. “The lockdown made me reflect on how I could contribute towards creating relief and unity,” she says. Each day, Toich announces a new theme, from ‘something growing’ to ‘the meaning of celebration’, encouraging the public to paint, sculpt, bake or sew a personal response. Drawing inspiration from the everyday, participants showcase artworks that have relieved emotional tensions and fostered a healthy frame of mind. Through her initiative, Toich has kindled a sense of grounding and community in a time of great uncertainty and isolation. “I have realised what a connecting and powerful force making art together can be,” Toich says. “It has the power to heal and inspire hope.”
