Reflection

Reflection

My piece is a photographic still life inspired by Dutch Vanitas paintings. The objects arranged in the photo reflect the dark reality of global warming and the deaths it causes in the animal kingdom, especially to animals who depend on the ever-shrinking ice caps to survive. This artwork particularly focuses on the shrinking population of polar bears, as can be seen in the pelts and figurine in the photograph. Last year over 600 polar bears were confirmed dead, and it’s estimated that under 25,000 remain. The partial darkness of the image represents the fact that the majority of the population is ‘in the dark’ about the severity of the issue. The table setting is an appropriation of Dutch Vanitas but also reflects our consumerism and the role it has in pollution and climate change. The bowl full of blood also demonstrates the idea of the ‘ocean of blood’ caused by climate change. The small polar bear figurine appearing to drown in fur casts light onto the fact that due to large pieces of ice melting or breaking off of the polar ice caps, polar bears now have much larger areas to swim and many drown of exhaustion. The main subject matter of the photograph is a piece of melting ice dripping into a bowl of blood. This demonstrates that even though a small piece of polar ice melting doesn’t seem like a big deal, it contributes to a bigger problem.