Artistic Activism

Creative expression touches upon an endless list of subjects, one of which is environmental awareness. Social media, combined with art and visual representation, can create thought-provoking campaigns that influence entire communities. This is especially effective if the artists sharing their work have a large fan base that will accept their ideas and spread them with friends and family.

One such talented artist who uses her work in order to provoke change in the perception of environmental issues is Wenqing Yan. She publishes her art under the pseudonym of Yuumei in DeviantArt and talks about several different issues that can often be overlooked by the public.

Countdown by yuumei on deviantART

One example is the melting of the ice caps, which will lead to devastating flooding and destruction. This particular piece of work strikes the heart of the viewer with an accusation that while we live a comfortable life, this carefree time will sooner, rather than later, run out. And we will have to face the consequences.

Rain by yuumei on deviantART

'Rain' is a comic-strip that demonstrates how uncontrolled manufacturing kills nature and leaves nothing in its path. Even the fact that only a single flower is growing in the drawing leaves us with an eerie feeling that recovery is slow, painful and countered by more acidic rain.

Crimson Irony by yuumei on deviantART

It is not just the paintings of the artist that send a message. In her comment section, Yuumei explains what she is trying to tell her audience, including provocative questions and statements, such as:

Around 78 million of the 104 million dead sharks are killed only for their fins to be put into shark fin soup. The soup is a popular dish in Asian countries, and falsely believed to have health benefits such as sex life enhancement. Shark finning is the cruel act of cutting off the shark’s fins while it is still alive, then the still living shark is wastefully thrown back into the ocean to die a slow and painful death. Can you imagine the agony of someone chopping off your arms and legs and leaving you to bleed to death just so they can have a make believe better sex life?

Yuumei is an influential artist at DeviantArt who uses her talent for a good cause. This shows that creativity is not used only for personal expression or the acquisition of profit. Creativity generates ideas, sends messages, nurtures communities and inspires actions. It strikes the public in a stronger manner than written information. Additionally, the effect from this artist is stronger, as she is being listened to by people who admire and respect her work, rather than a passive audience who is bombarded with messages that they do not wish to listen to.

I believe that artistic movements such as this are a strong way to boost awareness about not just the environment, but also other issues such as racism, inequality, poverty and abuse.