Reflection

There are some animals out there who eventually die not of old age or malnutrition but because a part of their body has grown so large that they have impaled themselves. I’ve seen instances of this happening with rhinoceros horns and more frequently ram horns, which this painting is about. These two paintings combine to create a diptych and reveal the meaning of my painting. The climate crisis has grown so much worse as big companies and powers choose to ignore their environmental harm. The painting on the left when viewed alone tells the story of how these companies and powers blame environmental destruction and climate change as being caused by other factors. It also relates to the justifications of climate change which say that “climate change isn’t real” and is natural, that other factors are causing our planet’s degradation. When the painting on the right is combined with the left, climate change is revealed to be caused by us, humans, who have ignored warning signs to stop destroying the planet. The diptych is also an expression of my climate anxiety. The process of researching and painting this piece opened my eyes to how much misinformation was out there about climate change. Also, from personal experience, there is stigma around the topic of climate change that ward of conversations about it. So, we must work together to break the stigma and prevent the planet from dying.