Symbiosis

‘Symbiosis’ is a part of a larger ongoing collection of work, “Butterfly Effect” - a phenomenon in which a couple of initial small changes can cause a series of large effects subsequently. A chain reaction, simply put - and I’m especially interested in studying these conditions related to active human choices and the effect it has on our environment and us, as human beings.

This series of artworks is inspired by what I witnessed on my 2 trips to the Maldives, 10 years apart. From the beautiful aerial view of the atolls formations that make up this country, you see these unique reef ecosystems that surround individual islands - in every shape and size. What makes up these reefs are a unique and complex hierarchy of corals that powers the abundance of life/biodiversity around the shores. 

One of the unfortunate effects of human-caused global warming is the rising sea level temperatures. This greatly impacts the reef ecosystem, as corals are extremely vulnerable to even slightly higher temperatures - resulting in massive coral bleaching events. Symbiosis refers to the mutually dependent (and usually beneficial) relationship between two organisms and in this case it’s the coral (the structure) and the plankton (the organism that lives within it) that gives it color and gives the coral life and food. When the temperature rises, the plankton abandons the coral, and the latter dies - hence you will see a field of “white” bleached corals. Without these corals, it cannot sustain the marine life that depends on it. 

This series of work depicts the scenery in all its beauty - whether ill fated or not - through the warm tones, soft gradients and delicate textures. I hope this beauty can encourage us to re-evaluate how we can be in harmony with nature - our own version of symbiosis.