Gaia's abuse
First-Level Academic Diploma in Visual Arts – Decoration
Description of the Work
“The Abuse of Gaia” is a painting-installation piece created on a fir wood panel (80×120 cm) using mixed media. I chose to integrate recycled and reclaimed materials from the environment because every element of this creation carries the weight of human consumption and waste. This is not just a visual piece, but a strong and clear denunciation against petroleum multinationals and, in particular, against the plastics manufacturing industry.
The Meaning and the Myth
The title itself, “The Abuse of Gaia,” encapsulates the deep connection to Greek mythology: Gaia, mother of the Earth and origin of the world, is today oppressed and suffocated by her industrial “children,” much like the Titans in the Greek myth. In the work, I sought to represent a modern, human, and grieving Gaia, with sneakers, earrings, and a body that explodes in a cry of hatred and pain. She gives birth to waste, tears herself apart, and collapses, giving life not to children but to the very death of the future.
The Message I Wish to Convey
This work is my cry against indifference, apathy, and superficiality. Gaia screams, but her voice is covered by a ribbon of tape that prevents us from hearing her—a symbol of our inability to act. The cellophane-wrapped child being born represents a future without hope, suffocated by the waste of past generations. “The Abuse of Gaia” is an invitation to awareness: each one of us can make a difference. We cannot change the past, but we can commit to the future—if not for ourselves, then at least for those who will come after us.