Artist Statement

Despondence

Brody Balicki 

For my art piece, I created a song and an image to go along with it. For the painting, I used an 8 x 10 canvas and acrylic paint to create an image that looks like two different landscapes if you flip it one way and then the other. One way, the sun is rising over the mountains, and the other way, it is setting over the ocean. Musical notes are floating around to connect my painting to my song. I worked on the music for weeks on weeks. Blood, sweat, and tears are an exaggeration, but definitely blood and sweat. There was a lot of deleting, cutting, and frustration. My brother was a big part of my music. He helped me play the notes I couldn't play. He's an actual guitar player whereas I'm just learning the instrument. This was my first big project using the guitar to help me. I'm proud to show my song to people who ask. When people listen to my musical composition, my aim is that they think about something that makes them want to make a change in the world. 

One issue that I learned about and hope will change is Cobalt mining. Cobalt is mined in DRC and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is toxic to touch and breathe, but what's happening is it's being used to make batteries in phones, computers, electric cars, and more. The mining people are being forced to do it for meager wages. 20,000 people work at a mine that supplies 75% of the world's cobalt. It makes me feel sorry for everyone dealing with people not following the UN agreement. And feel even worse for people who don't even know that there are rules that you don't have to do everything you are told by non-law enforcement. You can get help, you can find a way to get what you deserve.