Reflection

My work examines the commodification of nature through forced domestication, using flamingos as symbols of species reduced to theatrical performances of “wildness.” It critiques how modern conservation often turns zoos into staged sanctuaries—artificial ecosystems that sanitize complexity and turn animals into consumable spectacles. I used acrylic markers to capture the glossy artificiality of glass enclosures, expecting neon saturation. Instead, the paper absorbed the pigment, muting the pinks—an accidental but fitting echo of the faded vitality of captive flamingos. Layered blue-white Fresson-inspired backdrops clash with the pinks to evoke the psychological tension of confinement. Though I wish I had explored collage or more texture to convey sterility, the resulting flatness ultimately reinforced the idea: our attempts to preserve “nature” often distort it, reducing living ecosystems to aesthetic commodities. The piece becomes both critique and self-reflection, revealing the contradictions embedded in performative environmentalism.