"Intrusion" is about the excessive building of blocks to the detriment of nearby nature. In my current city, Constanta, which is located on the Black Sea coast, in the last twenty years it has been built excessively, the economic interest prevailing due to the benefits brought by these hotels or apartments rented during the summer season.
"Intrusion" is about the excessive building of blocks to the detriment of nearby nature. In my current city, Constanta, which is located on the Black Sea coast, in the last twenty years it has been built excessively, the economic interest prevailing due to the benefits brought by these hotels or apartments rented during the summer season. There are no more wild beaches and the largest park is also chopped up in order to put buildings instead of trees.
My artwork is inspired by the sight of this image on a beautiful evening when riding, I stopped by the Lake Siutghiol, located on the opposite side of the sea, to admire the sunset.
We need to be more aware of the enviroment, of our visible and invisible relationship with nature because the consequences of our economic behavior are devastating in the long run. We are in a hurry to die instead of maintaining a healthy balance and harmony with nature.
"Intrusion", was selected to be included in 'COP26: Together For Our Planet'.
This project is a collaboration between Occhi Arts and Entertainment and Phoenix FTA Limited, a UK-based sustainability strategy consultancy. Inspired by the UK Creative Earth Competition, Occhi Arts and Entertainment and Phoenix FTA Limited invited young artists from around the world to creatively engage with key topics of concern at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow.
Occhi Contemporary Art is part of award-winning Occhi Arts & Entertainment, a New York and London-based consultancy providing strategic business, communications, and PR support to artists and creative businesses.
Through this artwork, I expressed my concern about the excessive building of blocks on the shores of the Black Sea, Lake Siutghiol and Tabacariei Park ( Constanța region, Romania ).
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context
"Intrusion" is an artwork made with acrylic colors and marker on a canvas panel.
Art is an exceptional and lasting way through which the artist inspires and creates an impact in the society in which he lives. In this case, my main goal is to highlight nature, the way in which people violate its barriers for simple economic interests. Biodiversity is destroyed, so the balance is no longer healthy, and those who suffer are us, humans, fauna and flora. We need to find ways to encourage sustainability and care for the environment.
The meaning of prosperity in modern society comes from the idea of abundance, the financial one. Sometimes the economy takes precedence over the real values and achievements of this planet as a human being. As an artist, I think it is more important to do what you love, what makes your soul shine, even if you are not that rich in money. To be rich is not about money, it means being content and grateful with what you are, with what you do, with what you have and helping others. Inner wealth is truer and more real than any other material thing. Of course, we live in a society where we have to support each other and money is just energy that needs to be changed, but if we look at our priorities, we need less than we think we need to have a meaningful life.
In my art I try to express my emotions, I choose my colors based on intuition, I don't want to be limited, I want to be true and always create from my heART and not create something just because it will be sold. I want people who appreciate art to feel my artwork and not just buy because the paintings match the curtains at home.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context
Painting is the embodiment of aesthetics, expressing through colors the emotions, feelings and alarm signals drawn by the artist regarding a cause. In my work, the crane as a machine embodies the intrusion of man into the heart of nature. The splashes of color on the right symbolize the cry of pain of nature. The lake mirrors the newly built block, and the plants at its edge have the impression that it climbs the construction, thereby wanting to show how close it is being built.
I strongly believe that nature can do without human beings, but we could not have an existence without its contribution.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context
I believe that the conservation, care and respect of nature concerns us all human beings, regardless of social status, gender, religion, education or any other label. We are all directly responsible for what is happening as long as we do nothing to make things right, considering that it is not our business and passing the responsibility on to big investors who see only numbers. When we take action, no longer waiting for someone else to do something about it, we show love, compassion, respect for life itself. Life is equal for all, it does not discriminate against anyone, and its quality depends on the contribution we make in relation to all living beings, whether they are plants, animals or other human beings.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary
I think that sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion complemented each other in this artwork and in what I wanted to convey through it. I rather think that aesthetics encompasses the other two forming a true trio. My goals are a pointer to these values that are necessary to coexist to bring about changes in human beliefs, perceptions, assumptions, and expectations about other people or other life, personal, professional, or economic situations. I think that when we give up greed, the desire to earn more at the expense of something, in this case of nature, we realize that in order to be fulfilled and to have a meaningful life we need much less than we think. Then we stop from this continuous rush to nowhere, we learn to prioritize, to regain harmony and balance both in terms of what we do, professionally, what we are, mentally, emotionally, physically, and what we have in terms of material things.
"Intrusion" is a finished artwork that had an international impact and was selected to be included in 'COP26: Together For Our Planet'.Curators Comment:Understanding the construction sector is vital if we want to keep emissions below the 1.5°C level. The construction sector is highly energy and carbon-intensive, with the building industry causing 14,000,000,000 tonnes of GHG emissions every year. The entire industry accounts for 38% of global carbon emissions. While buildings equivalent to a city the size of Paris are being built every week – less than 1% of them are assessed to determine their carbon footprint. This is particularly worrying as meaningful targets cannot be set if the industry doesn't know where it stands regarding carbon emissions. All we know is this industry’s emissions need to be halved by 2030 and be zeroed by 2050 if we were to achieve the commitments under the Paris Agreement. A recent report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), based on the whole life cycle assessment (WLCA) of buildings, confirms that as much as 50% of whole life carbon emissions in buildings stem from the manufacturing of materials and the construction process, with as few as six materials accounting for 70% of the construction-related emissions. Around 8% of the overall global CO2 emissions come from the production of steel and concrete, for example. Another negative impact of the industry is its encroachment on nature, and any emissions from that land-use change are not included in the global energy emissions tally of that industry. The report says there are around 255 billion m2 of buildings in the world, with an additional 5.5 billion being added each year. As long as the provision of basic raw material, cement, bricks, gravel, iron, steel, other metals, and wood take a huge toll on our land and natural resources are treated as “externality” we’re not serious about the quantification of damages that are inflicted on existing ecosystems.
Please also explain the benefits that derived from their involvement.
My artwork was created with the aim of raising awareness about the human being's relationship with nature. It has been exhibited, seen and appreciated by many art lovers both nationally and internationally. By this I consider that the impact was a visible one both for the citizens and for the civil society.
I had a friend who had given a financial advance to an investor to buy an apartment in a new block of flats being built on the shores of the Black Sea, in North Mamaia, and he later gave up the idea.
I think that excessive construction is a global problem, but especially a national one. It seems that in Romania, unfortunately, the emphasis is more on construction than on the environment, green space, conservation and protection of fauna and flora. This is true and we must not neglect it or turn our heads elsewhere when it comes to these issues. We have a large country as a surface and I think that if we build more sustainably everything would work better. Regarding the project and my main objective, I consider that if we put more emphasis on wild beaches, on the environment, building more responsibly and less, not building next to building, we will have a varied ecosystem, and the relationship with nature will be much more fruitful.
Each artwork is unique, innovative, conveying the artist's thoughts, emotions and worries. Through my work I tried to expose the truth directly without detours. I painted what I felt about this subject, which is becoming more and more widespread in Dobrogea, this region of Romania that is open to the Black Sea and the Danube Delta. I think when you expose the truth is enough, it is felt by those around you and has a colossal effect opening the eyes and mind where necessary.
Please provide clear documentation, communication of methodology and principles in this context.
Art, of course, can coexist with other types of social projects, together obtaining conclusive results and a more immediate effect. At the moment I have not tried to make such a partnership, but I do not rule out such an opportunity in the future.
@Ana - MariaGuta, 2021
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