IT has become THE phrase of the pandemic, two little words that sum up the last year in a nutshell - Stay Home.

An artwork which spells it out with human figures is one of five acquired by Glasgow Museums, which is collecting material to record the Covid-19 pandemic for future generations.

Apindra Swain’s piece joins work by Kalyan Joshi, Rajesh Chaitya Vangad, Bahadur Chitrakar and Heera Devi, in the city’s World Cultures collection.

Unique to Scotland, the collection is a combination of works on cloth and on paper. Each showcases a distinct style of traditional folk and tribal craft from a different region of India.

In India, rural folk art has traditionally been used as a means of spreading awareness within communities. Every region has its own distinct style of colour combinations, layout, figures and decorative motifs, passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.

Duncan Dornan, Head of Glasgow Museums, said, the acquisition was important particularly as the country continues its second national lockdown.

“The poignancy of these works, illustrating the effects of the virus across India are also likely to touch the lives of the diaspora South Asian communities in Glasgow,” he said.

“This capsule collection is a welcome and thought-provoking addition to Glasgow Museums’ collection now and for future generations.”

Duncan added: “Every aspect of life has been touched by Covid-19. Contemporary collecting around the pandemic will help us comprehend the experience and allow future generations to learn a little about what exactly life was like living with it.”

Post Covid Glasgow Museums intends to showcase the works as part of existing displays on South Asian art, in temporary exhibitions in the Fragile Art and Cultural Connections galleries in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and in proposed future displays reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic.