Vishvapani

American TV host Ellen DeGeneres has been called the queen of kindness, her daily show feature stories of people acting kindly, and she signs of each day with words "Be kind to one another".

Something remarkable happened with unset of Covid-19, with half the world in lockdown, perhaps for the first time in history, the whole of humanity is in roughly the same situation. Facing the same threats, and feeling the same fears. Reminded me of the impact of the first images of the earth from space, which eye to see the planet as a whole, and sense how much we're having in common.

Covid-19 is simultaniously driving us apart and pushing us together. Self-isolating, social-distancing, and lockdown that's happening in countries ahead of us on the epidemiology curve, all forcing people to withdraw from each other. Then there's the isolating effect of worry and stress, we draw inwards when we tracking: my tummy tightened, my chest contracts, my thoughts spiral, and our rectile brains seem to protect us by claim, fighting, or grabing the last packet of dry pasta. In the same time, we come in this situation together.

For the 4 artists nominated for this years Turnner Prize, followed conversation, they quickly decided they didn't want to compete against each other. They asked to be judged as a single collective, and this week, the prize was shared between them.