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Peace and environmental issues are everybody’s concern. When there is a peace there is unity and understanding among communities in diverse culture, faith, race and colors. This work of art makes a call for all women and men of good will to take responsibility for sustaining life, environmental protection, prevent war and build a culture of peace.
Environmental protection campaign was a long time movement by environmentalists and activists who love to live in this planet, but until now the majority people in the world are still ignoring the destruction created by a few who just look after their personal satisfaction and interest. We are now living in a time of global transition. Our planet is at risk and global warming is a serious issue in our time and it must be everybody’s concern because symptoms of full destruction are now happening in different parts of the world. It is a time to act now and artists should do something about it, and creating this work is a move to save the earth.
Women’s movement for peace could be a natural force for peace because they believed in moral force instead of physical force, through love and nurturing they can help us to learn how to prevent war in order to sustain life and save our civilization. I used women as a main elements of my composition in projecting issues of peace and environment because I believe that women’s unique qualities of birthing, nurturing, responsibility, commitment and sensitivity towards human needs are the most effective values for healing the exploited earth and human race.
This artwork visualizes women in action for a more balanced and equitable value paradigm. It shows women finding their own independent identities by developing a more holistic view of the world and redefines the relationship between men and women in terms of social, political, economic and spiritual equality.
This artwork is trying to recognize women’s heroic act in promoting a culture of peace based on justice and equality, protecting and rehabilitating the destroyed environment.
Visualizing the devastation of war through dilapidated buildings with the warheads flying above on it, the image is neutralized and overshadowed with peace images that dominate the whole composition.
The composition is divided into two major images; The image of women in neutral situations but projecting encouragement for the viewer to act and do something about the real situation in a community or society where women are treated as sex object, kept powerless, exploited and maltreated. The whole composition suggest awareness for equality and gender sensitivity to make the world united to battle environmental destruction and war issues confronting everyone today.
Eyes are the focal point of the whole composition but it drags your attention to skulls and then to the remains of environmental destruction. Global warming is a world wide issue for our time….Save the earth, people unite and artist act now to save our planet and preserve human existence for generations to come. These are the thematic messages.
The women symbol serves as magnifying glass to enlarge the unity of women in human chain to confront the environmental and peace issues. It is rooted on the earth to guide the growth of a plant as a symbol of saving life on earth. The women symbol also magnifies the unity of concern women from different color and race in the globe.
Half of the composition encourages more positive thinking, showing visualization and action from what we have seen and experienced in our communities or in other countries. Some of the action shows women planting trees while the front image is a global warming as a problem of ecological imbalance, saying, if people don’t act now, someday they will realize that the planet is not liveable anymore because it has turn into flooding water and nuclear ashes.
The painting provokes thoughts and initiates public discussions as it projects issues on peace, environment and gender equality and sensitivity. The artwork may carry our hopes for a more just and humane future to live in peace and dignity, but still the mural is artistically beautiful and would add extra vibrancy and dynamism to Winnipeg’s urban landscape. [VIEW PHOTOS]
Bert Monterona
Artist, Art educator, Cultural worker, Peacebuilder
www.bertmonterona.com
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