The Balance Between the Natural World and Humankind

My exhibition’s central theme is the balance between nature and humankind, expressed as a story by my pieces. The story consists of three parts and utilizes motifs to connect the pieces. The girl is a motif for humanity, flowers are a motif for hope, and the hills and wildcats are motifs for the natural world.

The first part consists of the painting Eve, which illustrates the harmony between humans and nature before modern-day society. The second part consists of the piece After, which displays the aftermath of humanity’s destruction of the environment in which nature slowly returns. The third section comprises the remaining six works, which illustrate a utopian future after the destruction of the environment, in which humanity and the wilderness successfully coexist.

The creation of the exhibition was heavily influenced by my love for animals and the environment. Climate change, pollution, wildfires, and deforestation are all issues that stem primarily from human activities and continue to destroy the natural world. For example, in recent months, massive wildfires have destroyed habitats in Australia and the Amazon rainforest in South America. My work was also significantly influenced by the artist Frida Kahlo, who frequently depicted self-portraits and natural settings. The females I expressed are all somewhat self-portraits and represent humankind. I loosely based them off myself because I wanted them to remind me to be mindful of my actions and their influence on the environment.

My exhibition tells a story, which is why the order and arrangement of the pieces were of great importance. I tried to organize the works as logically as possible for the audience’s understanding by putting them in chronological order. My exhibition’s goal was to raise awareness for the environment and make my audience reflect on their actions regarding the topic. Unfortunately, my collection has been somewhat limited by the digital format, which doesn’t convey the same depth and detail to the pieces. It also creates more detachment from the artwork, which I was trying to avoid because I wanted the audience to experience a personal connection to environmentalism. If I were to display my exhibition in real life, the arrangement of the works would have remained the same. I would’ve wanted the exhibition to be held in a sunlight room with big windows, preferably overlooking some greenery or body of water. I also would’ve positioned some plants close to the exhibition site, if possible.