The impact of the pandemic has been especially striking in the USA. Moreover, it seems like the entire country is experiencing not one but three simultaneous viruses: COVID-19 comes along with a flare-up of endemic racism, which in turn relies upon viral images and memes circulating both on- and offline to thrive. The Three Plagues takes an in-depth look at these ongoing upheavals. In three hour-long episodes, program host Adam Kleinman and invited guests will trace various “etiologies” of this triplicate affliction, drawing upon the collective experience of several months of lockdowns, protests, and their related viral images and stories. 

The first episode brings together critic, artist, and curator Aria Dean with writer Dean Kissick to reflect upon what life was like at the epicenter of the crisis in recent months.