TICK TOCK… TIME IS RUNNING…

-Original collage art with deep symbolism-

Art and the climate crisis can take many forms. This work is one example.

about the work

The work “Tik Tok… Time is running…” is an attempt at a cry. We need to wake up! The world around us is literally bleeding, but it’s as if we’re finding it hard to take it in. Like a countdown that has been going on for so long that we’ve stopped hearing it.

As a visual alarm, the work confronts us with the perspective of time. We don't have all the time in the world in this life or in this world. And the time we do have, we must try to use in the best possible way. We all bear responsibility for ourselves and our own lives, but we also bear a human responsibility for future generations. It's not just about you and me here and now. It's also about the future of children and young people.

The woman wears a watch as an eye. Is she half human, half AI? Does she look us straight in the eye, confronting the viewer, or are we the ones watching time disappear through her? 

This work can be read as an inner alarm in the individual; the feeling of constantly lagging behind in life, depending on the eye that sees, but the work can also be read as a picture of the world situation and the climate collapse that is happening in slow motion before our eyes...

The climate crisis here becomes an image of, in part, collective repression and the necessity of waking up.

Time is running out. Not just in the world. But also inside us.

Symbolism and tools

• Eye = clock: A watch integrated into the woman's eye, with blood-red lines running down the face, creates a direct association with time as something we see through, but also as something that bleeds. 
• Roses and crown: The roses in the hair and the jewelry on top create the contrast between vanity and decay; as a symbol of human vanity, we decorate the collapse so that we don't have to deal with the ugly realities.
• The circle of gold can be understood as a halo, something sacred that is crumbling. 

I have a great love for street art, its patina and raw structure, which emerges due to wear and tear and weather conditions. I often seek this expression in many of my collages, because it gives a different dynamic and energy to the overall expression of the collage. Street art is a snapshot of social structures, political agendas and slogans on the walls and railings of big cities.

Here I have chosen to present the work as part of a facade wall somewhere in a big city with the raw textures that suggest the decay and peeling paint of a wall. Here she stands as a snapshot, ready to be painted over or destroyed by the elements in the next moment.

why the title “Tik Tok… Time is…”

The title is meant to remind both you and me that time is not something we can buy or usurp. Time is fleeting, and the time that is Once gone, it will never come back. That is why it is so important that we use the time we are given with care and concern - both for ourselves and the world around us.

This work will be worth looking at Climate People's Summit, 2025.

Are you interested in buying? Tik Tok…time is running…  Or hear more?
📩 Contact me here
📦 Shipping/pickup by arrangement.