I wanted this illustration to not only be a surreal depiction of my own environment of the past year, but also a comparable warning to the rest of the world as well. While I don’t live near the ocean I have felt the direct effects of global warming and the effects of water rising this year. As the climate changes, our weather drastically has been affected. Seoul has not only experienced one of the worst monsoon seasons, drowning out and flooding streets due to the overflowing rivers, but we also experienced nearby one of the worst forest fires due to longer dryer periods. In my illustration, I wanted to showcase the two worst effects of climate change that are on the opposite spectrum affected by climate change. My room represents the flooding water encroaching on my safe space, and the outside city reflects a burning fire. I wanted this to be a message that like the flooding of the floor and the encroaching flames of the city, global warming similarly will continually encroach and choke and corner us if we don’t act now.

Eugene Shin is a teenage artist living in Seoul, Korea. He has previously been recognized by the Scholastic art competition with several photographic works. He enjoys experimenting with various materials and recently he is expanding his interest from photography to drawing, painting, and digital art. He hopes to express himself in diverse artistic ways continuously.