Camille Hu

The pieces in my portfolio revolve around environmental issues like climate change, fast fashion, and overconsumption. As I explored these subjects and the ways I wanted to convey them, I was really drawn to the question of how art can inspire change. I knew that I wanted my works to prompt personal reflection on the state of the planet and the viewer’s role in perpetuating the climate crisis. In other words, I began exploring ways in which art elicits an emotional response from the viewer. I think that my initial work titled “The Cost” set the tone not only for the subject matter I wanted to work with but also for the mediums and materials I wanted to work with. This piece in particular involves a boy standing amongst piles of trash. I wanted to contrast the boy with his surroundings and explore the dichotomy between material and color. The pencil drawn boy contrasts the permanence of the trash in all its color, symbolic of our impermanence as a society in contrast to the waste we create. In several of my other works, the relationship between the subject and its surroundings is suggestive of the condition of our planet. The series of trash babies prompts questions surrounding the type of world we leave for future generations. In “The Art of Extinction: Metropolitan Museum of Art 2070,” the girl's curiosity towards the animals she gazes at prompts the question, what would life be like without these animals? In “The Bag,” perhaps the lack of a subject will prompt a response from the viewer as well. As I continue to work with these questions I am eager to continue to investigate ways in which a subject or lack thereof can prompt an emotional response from the viewer. Ultimately, I hope that my portfolio prompts reflection and thought on the state of our planet that in turn leads to action to improve this place we call home.