If you're like us, it can still come as a bit of a shock to hear that it has been five years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Some sense of normalcy has returned, and while some might be lucky enough to still work from home, many of us find ourselves back in the office for work and school, resuming our pre-Covid routines. Yet, the effects are still felt, be it in a loved one lost to the pandemic, the economic toll and negative impact it had on Joburg, or the lingering trauma and anxieties.
By bringing the work of Mapula Embroidery Project to Wits Art Museum (WAM), the exhibition 2020 Through the Eye of a Needle: Remembering the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2025 provides a space for reflection on those strange times, from the absurd: spraying oneself with sanitiser and not being able to find any toilet paper, to the heartwarming: cue the penguins taking over Simonstown, and all the other aches, pains, and joys which we all went through.
Photo: Wits Art Museum.
Mapula Embroidery Project is a community art collective of women embroiderers in the Winterveld and Hammanskraal. The exhibition includes a series of 17 panels depicting events from 2020. They are exquisite in their detail, and their focus on narration and events makes the exhibition a quiet way to remember and pay tribute to all that happened in that turbulent year.
In addition to the works by the Mapula Embroidery Project, the exhibition includes interactive elements that invite public engagement and remembrance. Visitors are encouraged to leave their mark – whether by writing down a memory, drawing a loved one lost to the pandemic, or creating a card to be added to the display. Through these thoughtful gestures, WAM has created a space where you can not only experience the artwork but also share your memories and become part of the collective narrative.
2020 Through the Eye of a Needle: Remembering the Covid-19 pandemic in 2025 is on display until Sat, Sep 13, 2025 at the Wits Art Museum in Braamfontein. Follow @witsartmuseum_wam on Instagram for upcoming walkabouts and craft events that bring the exhibition to life.
