WONDERING SERIES (3M Residency)

Climate crisis is the greatest existential threat to humanity. Like many of my generation, I worry about what the future will be like for my peers and I, and for life on this planet.  Instead of taking to the streets to protest climate inaction, I choose to express my sentiments and reflections on climate change and ecological calamity through my artistic practice.
 How would the world look like if the planet continues to heat up unabated? What will become of humanity? Of life on this planet?  Through this series, I embark on a journey where I am able to contemplate the long-term impact of climate change on the place we call home. Through my mastery of the etching technique, I explore my concerns of the wellbeing of our planet; I invite the audience to reflect on the implications of our actions through this grim future scape.

Inspired by the work of Casper David Friedrich, I rely on the ‘wanderer’, a mysterious lone figure with only its back in view, to direct our gaze at the foreboding landscapes. Essentially, this wanderer is the personification of myself etched in to the landscape. Reclaimed by nature, the setting is devoid of people, with vistas of the future resembling landscapes of bygone times.  I complement this approach of expression with a theatrical use of lighting, which Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720 – 1778) has applied to good effect to invoke a sense of rebirth and renewal of ancient architectural monuments. Through these haunting images of our future world, I urge for us to be more environmentally conscious in our daily habits and lifestyle, to reduce our carbon emission and change the way we treat mother earth.