The main intention behind my body of works was to force the viewer to grapple with the severity of the climate crisis both from a personal and impersonal perspective. While the pieces within the series approach the discussion of climate change and political activism from varying perspectives, the exhibition overall is intended to serve as a call to action for viewers. Ultimately, my hope behind creating this exhibition is to bring attention to climate change and call the viewer to change their consumption habits and political stances to better fight the climate crisis.

Throughout my exhibition, I selected the mediums I used to create each piece based on its connotation to the viewer. This was particularly the case when it came to my choice to incorporate ashes into nearly all my pieces within this exhibition, as ashes carry a powerful connotation given their literal and metaphorical symbolism. On a literal note, ashes symbolize death due to their association with the cremation process and the aftermath of fires, thus dystopian imagery regarding our planet’s future will likely be the first images the viewer will associate with my pieces. I was initially inspired to utilize ashes within my works based on my personal experiences growing up Catholic as the biblical connotation of ashes is often associated with death and rebirth due to their importance in Easter rituals and Ash Wednesday. Additionally, the presence of ash often causes the viewer to feel tense and uncomfortable; thus, my works would ideally pressure viewers to take action in regards to the climate crisis as a result of their feelings of guilt and fear. My choice to center my exhibition around climate change was motivated by my involvement in youth-led climate justice movements, particularly the Sunrise Movement, as I have worked to establish a chapter of the movement within my community this past year. As a young person, I’m painfully aware of the impact climate change will have on my future, so naturally, climate change was an issue I wanted to explore and raise awareness about through my artworks.