Created Destruction By Yuumei

You will probably be seeing a lot more of Yuumei's work posted here and there, mostly because I love her art and the messages she portrays. This one is called Created Destruction and it signifies how some our creations, such as factories, trash and cars, destroy wildlife and the environment. Yuumei connects the piece to her own personal experience of living in China before moving to the U.S. She said that the air was horrible, that she had many respiratory problems, and that her mom's voice was always raspy due to the poisonous air. She uses this to warn viewers that if pollution continues to build in the U.S., or in other healthier countries, it could very well mimic the situation in China. You can read more of her description here.
Personally, I love the way she integrated the hands into the smog. It really stresses the point that humankind has built up this situation and thus are the ones that need to fix it. I did notice that quite a bit of Yuumei's environmental pieces showcase the dark and negative sides to these issues, mostly because she is trying to gain awareness and send a message. Being an optimist, I'd like to see some more work that really showcases the good people have done to save the environment. Even in this case, having a slight accent in the picture towards this could symbolize that there is hope to make things better and there are people trying to change the way things have ended up, but, that we all still have a long way to go.