Pol-E Pharmacy
by David Chu
Holography on Film, 3” x 5”
Artist’s Statement:
6 years ago, I made this hologram as a representation of the destruction that the opioid crisis had wrought on America. At the time, it was one of the most pressing issues that the medical community was facing. 6 years later, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we view many things, and for me, it has changed the meaning of this piece as well.
In the midst of the pandemic, misinformation regarding the virus found a stable footing among the American public. Like a twisted mimicry of the opioid crisis, scientific and medical misinformation proved to be virulent, addictive, and deadly. Bad faith actors used the internet and social media to disseminate their poison as fast as any prescription, causing rifts within communities and leading to many unnecessary deaths. Although we are finally beginning to make our way toward the other side of this pandemic, I believe that misinformation will continue to represent one of the biggest threats to public health in the future.
David Chu is a second-year medical student at the UTCOMLS.
