Artist Dima Kashtalyan is fully aware of the impact that art can have on society and he strives to always give a positive message, even when alluding to a need for change in human behaviour. Here he explains his work, which won the "Best of Category" for the SDG 15 "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss", at the art contest Toward 2030.
"I created this original artwork especially for the international art contest organized by Lavazza.
I chose to illustrate the theme Life on land: protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
The main goal of my artwork is to show the importance of preserving the existing terrestrial ecosystem and restoring what was destroyed as a result of human activities and natural disasters.
It is very important for the future of our planet, our life and the lives of our descendants on Earth.
In my opinion, it is important to think not only about how we live now, but also about what we will leave behind, as a legacy, to future generations.
First of all, it is worth preserving what we have.
I expressed this idea through the image of a large greenhouse, which is combined with a safe and embodies the process of preserving natural wealth throughout the Earth.
The safe is a symbol of reliability and safety.
In my illustration you can notice a variety of small people.
Some of them keep a greenhouse, some plant new plants and some work in the direction of land recreation and the restoration of forests.
I portrayed people as small, to show that man is only a small part of the whole diversity of life on Earth.
I wanted to show that the planet is in our hands and only by combining the efforts of people from all over the world can we preserve those ecosystems, forests and fertile lands that exist now and restore those that are in decline. I believe that only together we can save and transform our planet, our common home, into a magical flowering world in which we and our descendants can live in peace, mutual respect and happiness. I note that I deliberately didn’t use negative images to demonstrate problems. I used only bright colours and everything that is painted is aimed at creation and faith in good. I believe that positive images, even to highlight problems, work better to shape the future".