“An artist should know art history. Shock value only lasts so long.”
- Robert Longo
Electrical wires, poles, transformers, and other components that make up our power grids are everywhere around us, so common that it may come as a "shock" to use them as subject matter for artwork. For me though, tapping into the linearity of the wires and the opportunity to visually "charge" the works with texture and oversaturated colors became apparent. The somewhat apocalyptic effect of this mashup series as a whole also reflects the current and future shock of climate change - read on below for more on that.
2018, Acrylic on Canvas, 20" x 20"
2019, Mixed Media, 20 x 20”
Visualizing Climate Shock
Diane Burko (b. 1945) is a celebrated American artist working in painting, photography and time-based media. Since 2013, Burko has embarked on research expeditions to various glaciers and reefs around the world. Through these locations, Burko explores the impacts of climate change, with emphasis on glacial melt and coral bleaching. "Burko’s images of melting glaciers and dying coral reefs are not just pictorially impressive; they have strong emotional impact...Horrified by environmental degradation, she feels an obligation to illuminate our wounded world with images that will stir us to action."
Sources: Wikipedia, Hyperallergic.com, DianeBurko.com