Elena Soterakis

Ecocide – “destruction of the natural environment, especially when willfully done.” These works from my Ecocide series derive from a deep concern for our natural world; it is a commentary on unchecked consumerism, corporatism, and extractive industries – all of which are destroying the planet.

A spontaneous interplay between oil painting and collage drives the creation of this work. I depict human-made waste through collage and use traditional oil painting techniques for the contrasting natural landscape. These collaged detritus images are created from multiple layers of discarded magazines, newspapers, pumice, molding paste, and actual garbage, such as plastic bags. I am purposefully excavating our negative impacts on the landscape, rather than hiding them. The integration of collaged materials into my painting alludes to the often-invisible ecological impacts of consumer culture and challenges the fraught history of American landscape painting In a contemporary context, my artworks meet at the intersection of romanticism and activism. My art is a call to action against our throwaway society and extractive industries, in an era of environmental neglect.