Painting 10: The Polar Bear

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There are moments when an image stays with you long after the screen fades to black. Recently, while watching a documentary on melting polar glaciers, I encountered one of those moments. A lone polar bear, surrounded by fractured ice, moving through a landscape that no longer behaves as it once did. It was not dramatic in the way cinema often tries to be it was quiet, almost still. And yet, it carried a weight that was difficult to shake.

What I felt in that moment was not just sadness. It was something more complex a mix of helplessness, awareness, and an uncomfortable sense of responsibility. A realization that the distance between “us” and “there” is far smaller than we tend to believe.

This oil painting on wooden panel explores a future that feels both inevitable and deeply uncertain. Inspired by the growing ambitions of space exploration, the work raises questions about humanity’s desire to extend itself beyond Earth physically, economically, and ideologically. As humanity reaches toward Mars, I find myself asking: if we have struggled to care for Earth, what will we bring with us to another world? Will exploration become understanding, or repetition? And before we even arrive, are we already leaving traces material, ideological, and environmental of ourselves behind?

In recent times, I have been reflecting on the relationship between sustained trauma and the gradual erosion of resilience — both in individuals and in societies. When trauma is not a singular event but a repeated, ongoing experience — such as through war, social upheaval, economic collapse, or environmental degradation — it begins to transform the very structure of being. Trauma, when normalized, does not only wound; it erodes. It weakens the fibres that hold together our sense of safety, identity, and humanity.

The title of my recent painting, Plasterra, is a fusion of the word plastic and the Latin word terra, meaning earth. This hybrid term encapsulates a profound shift in the narrative of our planet—a transformation where plastics, a product of human ingenuity, have infiltrated and overtaken the natural environment. This piece invites viewers to contemplate the pervasive influence of plastics on our lives and our world, both as an environmental reality and as a symbol of our evolving relationship with nature.

"Pragmatopia" is a visual exploration of the complex interplay between utopian ideals and pragmatic theory. Through this painting, I seek to delve into the tension between these contrasting philosophies, capturing the dynamic challenge they present in our pursuit of clarity and balance.

The process of creating "Pragmatopia" was both formalistic and experimental. It required a careful balance between structure and spontaneity, precision and fluidity. The title itself is a fusion of "utopia" and "pragmatism," highlighting the synthesis of these ideas into a cohesive whole.