No Time to Waste.
Eco-Art Competition 2021.

1. The environmental element I focused most on in this artwork is global warming, specifically the catastrophic effects that will occur if warming and net emissions are not restricted very soon. 2. This issue is very important to me because the impact of global warming will affect both myself and my generation in the near future if there is not radical action taken. Humanity currently has an opportunity to fix it, and it’s being thrown away due to an infuriating amount of indifference and apathy towards a potentially civilization-ending disaster. 3. I decided to depict this issue through connecting it to the traditional Chinese story of the divine archer, Hou Yi. Originally, there were 10 suns that took turns rising, however, one day they decided to rise at the same time. This caused an extreme warming of the earth and all earthly life began to burn up. The Jade Emperor ordered Hou Yi to threaten the suns, however, they refused to comply, and Hou Yi had to shoot down 9 suns. While there are variations in the story’s specifics, the core conflict is jarringly applicable to the modern day. I repurposed this myth in my piece, through creating the landscape of a ruined cityscape, and the piece is set under the skeleton of a destroyed dome, as an allegory for the potential fate of the earth. I also applied motion blur to symbolize the urgency and time-constrained nature of the battle. In addition, there are contrasting visual styles for each of the core elements (the fire, the archer, and the city) to further incorporate the depiction of a vicious and difficult conflict into the piece. 4. Hopefully, this painting successfully uses a mythological battle in order to emphasize the need for drastic and immediate action towards a looming apocalyptic cataclysm.