Please Move!
During some time off from school, I worked as an elderly caretaker and later a hospice nurse. One thing I learned was the importance of mourning in the process of moving into new states of mind. Mourning allows people to process their grief, find closure, and gain strength to move forward. By looking inward on the issues of climate change and engaging with my contemporaries, I understand that mourning creates pathways for rebuilding.
The confronting reality of climate change has interwoven itself into my life and artistic practice. The history of climate interference through pollution and human intervention has been brief in comparison to our world's timeline. Its effects will have long-term impacts, much of which we are witnessing now. Understanding that the world has been irrevocably altered, we can begin thinking about new possibilities rather than accepting a dystopic fate.
What is utopia but a place where everything exists in harmony? We must live in balance with our fears, obligations, and the infinite possibilities of a new world. While working on this piece, I asked myself how I could create a dialogue to make us think differently about working towards a sustainable future. My message is that there exists a need for reflection on our choices, as well as a need for young people to mourn these difficult circumstances.
In this piece, I diverged from typical climate awareness imagery, drawing inspiration from color field painters and utilizing tools at Bennington College. Blending the tradition of color field art with modern laser cutting, I crafted a dialectical image that harmonizes with painting and the realities of our artificial world. My work aims to seduce rather than alarm, inviting viewers to explore the impact of climate change on young people. The wood symbolizes structural issues, while the sandbags represent our collective challenges. The narrative unfolds as a poem, revealing a dissonance between generations.
Ultimately, I hope viewers will be inspired to respond to its call to action.
Materials: Wood, paint, 139 lbs of sand, canvas, tape.
Creation Year: 2024
Size: 48 in x 10 in x 96 in
Photography by Tian Yang