Halimah Zakiuddin: Facing Futures

Halimah Zakiuddin, Climate Catastrophe, 2024.

There was an open call for an art competition by Creative Youth as part of the Fusebox gallery in Kingston. The competition was called ‘Facing Futures’ and it is an exploration into the future of the ever-changing world around us, what it might look like and how these changes may impact the human experience.

I did a painting depicting melting glaciers, deforestation, deserts and wildfires. It’s called ‘Climate Catastrophe’ and it highlights what the future of our planet looks like based on the current climate crisis. I wrote a poem as well that explains the painting. My painting and poem together won the competition, and my artwork will be displayed in the Fusebox gallery in Kingston from the 28th of March 2024.

I really enjoyed creating these pieces of art. It all started with the poem which was inspired by my visit to the Immersive Art exhibition in the Oxo Tower. I was fascinated by the exploration of nature, endangered species, stolen lands and poisoned beauty. I wanted to have an impact through my words, so I wrote this poem, envisioning the scenes as I wrote. I then brought the words to life by painting the scenes described in the poem. I would like to thank Ed Oaks for helping me with the painting.


Winds of time
Bounding and beautiful
Nature is all around us
Timeless
Through seasons of change
But now….
Forests that used to stretch
For miles and miles
For centuries, have shrunk
As trees are cut for wood
And rising temperatures
Cause fires to rage
And trees to die
So erosion of soil spreads
And ecosystems perish.
And glaciers that reached
As far as the eye could see
Glorious and still
Now sparkle in the sun
That lights up the snow-white skies
Melting glaciers and
Warming the seas,
Affecting infrastructure
And agriculture.
The boundless sapphire seas
Old as time,
Are rising
Submerging islands and houses
Landscapes are shifting,
Communities are moving.
The weather’s too warm
For winter, as more
And more
Greenhouse gases are
Released into the atmosphere.
And buds bloom early
As Spring arrives sooner
And sooner.
The winds of time
Are changing so rapidly.
Climate change is
Shifting the world
Of Nature that we knew
As time passes
And disaster strikes
One after the other
How can we halt
the impending doom
of Climate Catastrophe?


By Halimah Zakiuddin

The Facing Futures exhibition by Creative Youth is showing at FUSEBOX Kingston from Friday 29 March – Saturday 6 April 2024 during opening hours. 

Halimah Zakiuddin also has an exhibition of her art at The Clocktower Cafe in Croydon, from Tuesday 2 – Saturday 27 April 2024.

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