“Responsibility in the Anthropocene age” as the key theme
We live in an era in which people are having a significant effect on Earth. We know that many changes on our planet are homemade. The longer we go on, the better we know that nature and civilization are inseparable. Awareness of the fatal damage that we have already inflicted on the planet must be our impetus to fundamentally change our behavior. Recognition of this new situation prompted scientists back in the year 2000 to introduce the term “Anthropocene” for the present era: It describes a new period in which the influence of humanity on Earth is greater than geological impacts. The human footprint will scar the planet for millennia, for hundreds of thousands of years even. Are we ready to take on responsibility for this?
Dongkyun Vak dedicated himself to the conflict between people, nature, and technology. «To assume responsibility for the environment, innovative technologies and ‘ecofriendly design’, including electric cars and air purifiers, will increasingly shape our everyday life. The invisible power behind these changes is technology, which seems to be both the cause and the solution for the ecological challenges of the Anthropocene», says Vak in relation to his work.
This conflict is also reflected in the aesthetics of his imagery. It shows both the seductiveness and the disconcerting nature of the environment characterized by new technologies. Thus, in his images, even living animals appear like artefacts robbed of their life.
