Muntadas CLOSED / LOCKED

As cities locked down across the globe, the artist enclave turned shopping district of Soho seemed particularly vacant. The absence of tourists pouring into the neighborhood and the flight of many locals when the city went into lockdown created an ominous void amplified by the plywood-clad facades that opulent flagship stores left behind in their wake. As the past is foreshortened and nuanced memories collapse in favor of dramatic events, the media forges on, too impatient to dwell on the bits that don’t fit neatly into instant story lines rolled out on a daily basis. In an effort to preserve an extraordinary moment when one of the world’s largest cities ground to a halt, the newspaper project CLOSED / LOCKED by Muntadas provides a direct and unembellished account of his lower Manhattan neighborhood during the lockdown that began in March 2020.

*Please note: Image misalignments in web preview are for production purposes and will not be reflected in the print edition.*