crying planet

Mixmedia on canvas, 100×100 cm

2017

This artwork was created for the Altonale bridges art competition in Hamburg and addresses one of the most urgent issues of our time: global warming and the ongoing destruction of nature through human influence.

At the center of the painting is a crying woman holding the Earth close to her body, as though trying to protect it from further harm. Wrapped around her is a flowing scarf that appears to dissolve into the wind, almost drifting away beyond her control. The movement of the fabric creates a feeling of fragility and instability, symbolizing a world slowly slipping from our hands.

The woman herself becomes a metaphor for humanity’s emotional connection to the planet — grief, helplessness, and love intertwined. Her tears reflect the pain caused by environmental destruction: polluted oceans, poisoned landscapes, deforestation, rising temperatures, and the gradual loss of natural balance. At the same time, the Earth she embraces represents both vulnerability and responsibility, reminding the viewer that the fate of the planet remains deeply connected to human action.

Created for the theme Bridges at the Altonale in Hamburg, the painting also speaks about the need to build new bridges between humanity and nature — bridges of awareness, respect, and responsibility. It calls for reconciliation with the environment and urges us to recognize that we are not separate from the natural world, but inseparably part of it.

Despite the sorrow embedded within the work, there remains a quiet sense of hope. The act of holding the Earth close suggests care, compassion, and the possibility that change is still within reach if humanity chooses to listen before it is too late.