In search of few perspectives on where biodiversity could be headed, which might inspire ideas for my artworks
As natural habitats shrink and fragment, many species lose their homes, struggle to find food, and become isolated from the genetic diversity necessary for survival. The future of biodiversity is tightly intertwined with human well-being, as biodiversity loss affects food security, water resources, and health. With innovations like genetic engineering and cloning, there is a potential, albeit controversial, future where biodiversity could be artificially sustained. Imagine a “digital nature,” where certain species are preserved in controlled environments, while natural biodiversity dwindles outside.
The Modern Identity and the Aesthetics of Homogenization
In the contemporary urban landscape, societal development is increasingly conflated with lifestyle standardization. The painting series Aquarium posits the modern metropolis as a controlled, hyper-visible container—a glass enclosure wherein established societies perform and regulate modern identity. Through this body of work, I interrogate three primary manifestations of contemporary urban culture: the industrialization and marketing of "organic" consumerism, the regulatory visual regimes of the fashion industry, and the commodification of bodily movement through institutionalized fitness cultures.
While these three trends are widely promoted as indicators of an active, health-conscious, and progressive society, their ubiquitous adoption raises fundamental questions regarding social equity and systemic access. Aquarium asks: what percentage of populations within modernized and established nations genuinely possess access to this ideal quality of life, and to what extent is this lifestyle an exclusive privilege masked as a universal standard?
Paintings by Soroush Dabiri
Rotunda Gallery
City Hall, 200 King St W
Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
November - December 2026