As COVID-19 dawned on the world, sending millions into isolation, Matthew Moret was prepared for the return to loneliness, having fought an extremely rare and debiting nerve disease  alone for a decade. Despite his fear and concern for the unwinding world around him, he held out a hope for survival and a cure: His immediate urge was for protection, represented by a gas mask, which he purchased as a vague attempt at self preservation. That prompted him to realize that same sentiment must undoubtedly be a universal one - regardless or geographical borders or political boundaries. It was this revelation that prompted him to focus on currencies, unique to each nation and rich with symbolism as a template for creating an art series reflecting both the urgency and desperation of these times along with a common drive fro end the horror and a return to normalcy - whatever that may represent for each nation. Quarantine currency ignores the perceived or implicit value of each bill and denomination and identifies a uniform symbolism that each bill reflects for its respective country, one that is shared by all others.

Matthew’s series, “Quarantine Currency" was inspired by the globally shared fears of COVID-19 and the loneliness and trauma we all experienced, retreating into our homes, sometimes for day, weeks and even months at a time. The experience was felt in every nation around the world. Matthew examined paper bank notes and questioned their value when it literally could no longer change hands without evoking fear of contamination through the spread of a deadly virus. 

The currencies themselves afforded Matthew an opportunity to embellish the various bills and denominations with adornments including roses and words of hope and rebirth, along with the recurring motif of threat and fear: A searching for protection and sanctity.  Each country was impacted by the pandemic at different times in varying degrees but universally, we all shared a common sense of urgency and a desperate search for a vaccine and treatment. The series creates a sense of global community and commonality despite our differences in culture, language, faith and geography. It highlights both the darkness and the light, despair and hope, all ushered in via the virus.