Oil and ink on canvas. To me, the coronavirus outbreak reveals a lot about our emotional disconnect to the natural world and the virus is telling of the dangerous boomerang effect that follows when our anthropocentric worldview makes us believe that we can control, dominate and exploit other species. The paintings of his series 'Learning to Crawl' are all directly connected to these thoughts and my emotions about this situation. In these works I am incorporating animal attributes and botanical elements to the human body. The creatures in my paintings are sometimes perceived as 'dark beings' causing anxiety in the viewer. However, my aim is to bring together humans, animals and plants, creating a symbiosis which points to the close alliance between these living things. The definition of symbiosis in biology (and there are a few) that most resonates for me is one of 'an interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to advantage of both.' The inclusion of the fascinating lichens brings this further to light as it is interwoven between human and animal bodies.

Margit Platny

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"I grew up in rural Austria. I remember that I was drawing and painting from my early childhood on and that my parents were always providing all kinds of art materials to experiment with. I focused more seriously on painting at the age of 15. Taking art classes and doing life drawing and painting for the first time was an amazing experience. This was the moment when I decided to become a painter. After receiving a masters degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1997, I moved to the beautiful countryside of Siena, Italy. My lifestyle and close relationship with nature plays a very inspirational role in my work. I get most of my ideas for my paintings when I am outside in our garden or while I am running with my dogs in the beautiful Tuscan woods. A great part of my work is based on my interest in the coexistence and affinity between humans and animals so I draw my inspiration and energy to create mainly from these relations and the associated emotions. To me, the coronavirus outbreak reveals a lot about our emotional disconnect to the natural world and the virus is telling of the dangerous boomerang effect that follows when our anthropocentric worldview makes us believe that we can control, dominate and exploit other species. Many of my works, like the series “Learning to Crawl” are directly connected to these thoughts and my emotions about this situation. Before I start painting I usually have a vague idea about the final state of the canvas, I rather know which kind of atmosphere I want to transmit. As there is a lot of room for spontaneity during the process I hope that my approach also gives a lot of room to individual associations, leaving the spectator with his/her own imagination."