The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. More
Artist Name: Olivia Paré
Title: Willful Decay
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Size/Dimension: 36" x 48"
Year: 2020
Artist Statement:
As the harmful consequences of the use of fossil fuels on the environment have been acknowledged for decades, conscious pollution of the earth's atmosphere is long-lived and ongoing, with little indication of cessation. The biosphere, now polluted and dominated by the adverse effects of human activity, is represented by the figures in my painting. Thick, glossy, dark liquid like crude oil leaks from the human fingertips, slowly contaminating the rest of the body, illustrating a sort of self-inflicted withering. My work can be seen as a cautionary piece: a reflection of the viewer as a mass contributor to environmental destruction.