Artist Statement: Roots
As above so is below! Or, as in the external world so it is in the core.
We live in a universal network in which every one of our actions has a direct result and consequence for our environment. Most other species create a balance with their environment. I find it incongruent that humans, supposedly the most intelligent creature on the planet, are destroying our only home. We have intellect, but, in reality we are not that smart. We have not found wisdom! We make our decisions based on how this benefits us or our social groups. Many decisions made by those with the power to do so chose actions based on assumptions of supremacy, short term results and dominance of economic interests rather than what is best for humanity and the world we live in. In general, we are not investing in positive alternatives for future generations, creating a disconnection from our intelligence, the love and compassion for humanity, and the best interest towards the care for the planet.
In reality, the only logical choice to reach the real human potential is joining reason and love in a single marriage, and for our decisions to become emblematic for the planet. Our actions affect our ecosystem and even our personalities. Weather conditions affect people’s mood, from happiness to sorrow, from being caring to becoming more aggressive, less tolerant, and more susceptible to anxieties. Alterations on any network affect the physical, the emotional and spiritual world. Harmony is perhaps the most difficult and intrinsic element to create and keep in society. We take the planet for granted but our planet is screaming for our protection and our actions are not stopping the destruction and devastation.
The world under our feet is also the world around us and the shelter over our heads. As below so is it above! The BBC Service has reported an incredible tree network affecting the underworld vividly and present on the world above. It is reflected in the synchronicity on the plants budding and germinating every spring in tandem with the bees, and every other micro- and macro-organism in the planet. Bee pollination allows for healthy crops resulting in a worldwide economic gain of 30 billion dollars yearly. My intent with this project is to create awareness on how integrated the relationship is between plants, animals, and humans, and how interdependent we are within this relationship.
This project starts with the rescue of tree roots which needed to be dug out from our property in Nettie Lake, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, in order to be able to construct our septic tank. The project allowed me to give life and permanency to something that had lost it. This series of sculptures intend to portray multiple scenes in which humans and animals relate and depend deeply on each other. Combining wood and bronze, or wood and glass, or ceramics, this series portrays animals with specific personalities and behavior not far different from what we characterize as human-like behavior. I hope that individually and collective we choose actions that can rescue our planet and return the balance between humans and the natural environment. Before we continue with our plans to conquer other worlds, we need to sort out what must be taken care of here, on earth. It is incredible that we are planning on the terraforming of Mars, but our home planet is on fire, and we don’t know how to put it out!
Cesar Forero is a Colombian-born Canadian with a background in architecture, sculpture, painting, and public performance. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramist AIC/IAC. He holds an MA from the Minnesota State University and a MFA from the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He is the curator at Truth Gym Gallery and currently sits on the boards at the Temiskaming Art Gallery, in Haileybury, Sculptors Society of Canada and Ontario Society of Artist, in Toronto, the Nipissing Regional Curatorial Collective in North Bay and Contemporary Art Committee, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario; in which he is the creator and current president. His artworks and performances have been shown worldwide and stand in public and private collections. He is fluent in English, Spanish, French and German. As a hobby, Forero cultivates a passion for bonsai.