Flipping the Bird
Taipei, Taiwan
2022, Senior, Art
Reflection
Flipping the Bird is inspired by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and countless others that have devastated aquatic ecosystems and waterfront communities. The penguin’s obscene gesture represents my frustration with the expansion of the oil and natural gas industry and pollution of once pristine environments. The piece is presented in a satirical poster that promotes oil mining in Antarctica, parodying the greenwashed ads by notorious companies like BP, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. In addition, this piece shames the oil industry of its ignorance of its effect on the environment, both in the form of oil spills and greenhouse gas emissions. Hopefully, my work will be able to raise awareness of the oil and gas industry's hypocrisy and inspire my generation into climate action.