ATHENS, June 17 — On the island of Paxos in Greece, visitors may catch a glimpse of a giant footprint, not unlike a basketball court in the sand. Presented during the Paxos Biennial, this monumental work denounces the destruction of nature and our planet by humans.
It took Greek artist The Krank 15 days to install “Footprint,” a monumental work set up in the midst of a green area on the island of Paxos, located in western Greece. Made directly on the ground, the creation represents a giant human footprint and covers an area of 1000 square meters. The work was created right in the sand, a few meters from the sea.
The work is both breathtaking and striking, but above all it carries a message. Presented as part of the Paxos Biennial, which runs until July 31, it highlights “urgent need for a balance between economic growth, social well-being and environmental conservation,” explains the artist on his Instagram account.
“Conceptually, footprint deals with the meaning of loss. Nature, ecosystems, biodiversity, are in a variable state with a negative sign. The parallelism that emerges through the ephemerality of my work, and of our presence as a species, reinforces the message I wanted to communicate. Everything is fluid, and nothing should be taken for granted.”
Like land art, street art is a powerful form of expression when it comes to raising awareness about the climate crisis. Like the Brazilian artist Mundano who, in October 2021, unveiled an impressive mural made from the ashes of Amazon fires, located just a few steps away from one of the biggest streets of São Paulo.
In addition to paying tribute to firefighters and raising awareness of the massive issue of forest fires that have been ravaging Brazil for several years, Mundano wanted to use his giant mural to denounce governments’ inaction when it comes to curbing deforestation.
The monumental sculpture “Support,” unveiled for the first time in the heart of Venice during the 2017 Biennale, also made a lasting impression with its message about climate change. Created by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn, the work represents two giant hands emerging from the Grand Canal. They carry one of the emblematic monuments of the City of the Doges: the Ca’Segredo hotel, threatened by the rising seas and oceans linked to global warming. The sculpture was again exhibited at the COP25, held in December 2019 in the city of Madrid. — ETX Studio
