STRAIGHT TALK

Over the Moon with David Aiu

David Aiu. Photo credit MTArt Agency.

By Marine Tanguy, guest contributor (founder of MTArt Agency)

Marine Tanguy: David, how did your story start with sustainability?
 
David Aiu: It all started with a spiritual quest. Overtime, I found answers in my relationship with the earth as it felt that the only thing I could ever be sure of, was that the planet had given us life and to the world around us. 
​
When you start having a spiritual relationship with the earth, being concerned with how sustainable we must act, comes very naturally.
 
The human species have forgotten that they owe most things to nature and we tend to focus on more trivial stuff instead like consumerism or appearances, things that are barely tangible.
It’s very important that we place nature at the center of our spirituality. ​

"Tartenia" Planet series. Image courtesy of the artist and MTArt Agency.

MT: Currently, what are your greater concerns? 
 
DA: My greatest concern is that whatever we are doing today will impact the future generations and as humans we are having a very hard time understanding something that will affect people who are not yet alive. This notion of our society not being responsible enough and not realizing in time what we need to do is something that alarms me. It is an even stronger feeling since my first son, Cosmo, was born a month ago. I feel both worried and hopeful since he is born. 

"Clarendon" Planet series. Image courtesy of the artist and MTArt Agency.

MT: What’s your role as an artist to solve them? 
 
DA: As an artist my role is to witness the challenges of my time and try to make people feel concerned about them, like what we’re doing to our environment. I want to inspire people to take action and care. I strongly believe that for people to react we need to directly impact their feelings and create emotions with this sensitive topic. ​

"Posada" Planet series. Image courtesy of the artist and MTArt Agency.

MT: What are your most successful series? 
 
DA: As of now my most successful series is the Planet series. This series is what allowed me to emancipate myself as an artist and understand my role. Planets was a direct approach to the subject, showing planets as a whole and their beauty, each different but precious.
 
I have started a new series called "Microcosm" which is focusing more on the results and the hope that humans will act in time to allow our environment to regenerate itself. This series shows the results of negligence that humans inflicted to our environment but it also shows that a brighter future is possible.

"Avalon" Planet series. Image courtesy of the artist and MTArt Agency.

​MT: Do people tell you that they now care more, after having been exposed to your works? 
 
DA: People who have been exposed to my paintings have often been thinking about the issues for a while, which is why they support me as an artist. However, I feel that people are starting to care more. 

I am looking to create reactions through my work, and hopefully create interest, to push people to act or think about it in their own way.
 
MT: Do your collectors buy your works because they care about the cause?
 
DA: Yes, my collectors usually collect my work for the message it conveys. 

"Uras" Planet series. Image courtesy of the artist and MTArt Agency.

MT: What shall we all do today?
 
DA: We need to act and educate. We need to forget about borders and politics and act as a whole human species to protect life.
 
We have to work together to develop new ways of being sustainable. 
 
Politicians around the world should be more concerned and proactive about the subject of climate change and start thinking for the future of our planet and not just their own interests.
 
MT: What’s your ideal future? 
 
DA: My ideal future is a future where my son will not be worried about his kids and his grandchildren, where we won’t think that recycling and using cleaner energies is impossible. In this ideal world that I am describing climate change is not an issue anymore because caring about our planet is just the norm, it is part of what we do everyday as we breathe. 

Photo credit MTArt Agency.

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