COVID - £20 Notes

Printed currency intervention — 2021

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Material-led artwork reflecting endurance, protection and survival at the end of lockdown.
This work was created in December 2021 as a response to the Covid pandemic and the tentative sense of emergence from lockdown, illness and prolonged uncertainty. The piece involved printing directly onto £20 banknotes, using currency as both material and symbol.

One side of the note focuses on love — referencing the collective care shown during the pandemic, particularly towards the NHS and key workers, as well as the personal experiences of love and connection that shaped that year. The choice of currency situates these ideas within systems of value, exchange and everyday circulation.

The reverse side features an image drawn from a Caravaggio painting of Saint Sebastian. Historically, Saint Sebastian came to represent protection, endurance and survival, and was widely believed to offer protection against plague. Unlike martyrs who are defined by death, Sebastian is defined by survival — wounded, pierced, but not killed.

In this context, his body becomes a site of resilience rather than sacrifice. The pairing of Saint Sebastian with contemporary currency brings together historical symbolism and modern systems of worth, reflecting on how societies measure value during moments of collective crisis.
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The work sits between commemoration and quiet intervention, using recognisable materials and imagery to mark a period defined by vulnerability, endurance and survival.