Archival Giclée Pigment Print on Archival Paper
Limited Edition of 5
40 x 60 in
102 x 152 cm
US $ 4,200
In this photograph from Airs, Waters, Places, John Stathatos captures a pit filled with decaying refuse, where wisps of smoke rise from the mounds of charred waste as if remnants of a smoldering wound within the earth. The vibrant red soil contrasts starkly with the blackened, twisted remains of tin cans, plastic, and metal scraps. The scene evokes a raw, visceral response, presenting the viewer with an unsettling vision of a landscape transformed into a dumping ground, stripped of its natural purity and instead marked by human detritus.
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In this photograph from Airs, Waters, Places, John Stathatos captures a pit filled with decaying refuse, where wisps of smoke rise from the mounds of charred waste as if remnants of a smoldering wound within the earth. The vibrant red soil contrasts starkly with the blackened, twisted remains of tin cans, plastic, and metal scraps. The scene evokes a raw, visceral response, presenting the viewer with an unsettling vision of a landscape transformed into a dumping ground, stripped of its natural purity and instead marked by human detritus.
The rising smoke gives the image a sense of unease, almost as if the landscape itself is reacting, exhaling after being overwhelmed by waste. This ominous transformation speaks to Stathatos’s ongoing critique of consumerism and environmental neglect, juxtaposing elements of natural beauty with the consequences of modern society’s waste. The red earth, so rich and vivid, stands as a stark reminder of what is being lost—a fertile landscape buried under layers of pollution and decay.
This image resonates with Stathatos’s reflections on the “invention” of landscape, challenging romanticized notions by presenting a reality tainted by consumer excess. Unlike idealized depictions of land as a space for renewal or escape, this landscape has become a repository for what we discard. The photograph serves as both a warning and an elegy, capturing the physical and symbolic cost of environmental degradation. Through this stark realism, Stathatos invites viewers to confront the environmental impact of our collective actions, urging us to reconsider our relationship with the land.