Reflection

Is reality too suffocating, or are we all just too used to living in blissful ignorance? Or should I say, blissless ignorance? Last year, I came across a still-life drawing of a plastic bag draped over a chair. The simplicity of the piece drew my attention; was I underthinking the piece or did the artist intentionally allude to nothing in particular? Somehow this artist was saying nothing and everything all at once. It inspired me to manipulate plastic as a symbol to represent objects that often benefit people in the moment but are detrimental in the long run. Plastic fits these qualities: loved by the people for its cheap cost and versatility, but the aftermath of such a material is undoubtedly contributing to many public health crises, causing the death of marine life, and destroying ecosystems. In my piece "Blissless Ignorance", I wanted to portray the duality of a situation: the benefits and the repercussions. While the plastic gives the girl the last bit of fresh air, she will eventually face her demise either from the lack of oxygen or the fire. The question is: Had she not been overly reliant on plastic as she was in her last moments, would she have been able to avoid her downfall? I chose plastic to represent this conflict due to its ubiquitous yet deleterious impact on society, the environment, and the future of humanity, which many still choose to overlook, a choice of blissless ignorance.