Ria Wank
Path unknown
There is a fire in Siberia, there is a fire in Alaska, there is probably still a fire in Spain and in Africa. No one asks anymore. According to the study “Future? Questions from Young People 2021” by the German Federal Environment Agency, over 70% of young people aged 14 to 22 are afraid of climate change, 58% are worried about the future, and over 50% believe that this fear is affecting their lives and functioning.
What is climate change doing to us and how do we confront this fear?
When Ria thinks about her future, she sees changes, improvised solutions, and compromises. But when she thinks about the future of her children, she is afraid. Her parents used to give them a clear picture of their future and their steps in life, but today she doesn’t know how to prepare her children for adulthood. How can she give them security when she sees none? How can she give them direction when she doesn’t know where she is currently leading? Where is the path?
Ria Wank, (Cottbus, Germany)
She studied textile design at Burg Giebichenstein- Hochschule für Kunst und Design Halle(Saale). In 2014, she began using analog photography and analog processes in her artistic work, and now the main focus is on chemical reaction in analog media.
She uses alternative developers such as cafenol to create unique techniques, mainly without using a camera. Light and chemicals are used as paint on photosensitive paper, blended with known textile industry reserve techniques.
The main themes of her work are natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, thunderstorms, and electromagnetic impulses, as well as human-induced natural phenomena such as forest fires and climate change, including their effects on the human mind and life.
