Reza Deghati
Artist statement
Once upon a time, there was a man sitting on
the branch of a tree intently sawing at the point
closest to the trunk. An old sage who happened
to be observing the scene, quickly warned the
man of the imminent danger of falling. Full of
arrogance, the man replied, “I know this tree
and all its many branches, and I can assure you
that there is absolutely no danger”. Not many
seconds later the branch broke, and the man
fell to the ground, badly hurt in the way the
old sage had predicted.
I remember those childhood stories that
influenced my philosophy of life and my
relationship to Nature, which is the guarantor
of our modern lives.
I also think back to the words of the celebrated
9th century doctor, Avicenna, who spoke of the
great importance of maintaining the perfect
balance between the elements: water, wind,
earth and fire. But throughout the centuries,
first due to ignorance then thoughtlessness,
mankind has exploited to depletion natural
resources for his own means.
In the name of technology and comfort, and
because of an enormous waste, the universal
balance is slowly fracturing.
Seen from space, the continents look like lonely,
shipwrecked boats amidst the vast expanse of
ocean. All seems harmonious, but the more
and more sick soil agonizes along with more
and more polluted water. The loss of harmony
of this natural balance and the contamination
of water as the source of life, poses a real threat
to the continued survival of mankind on a planet
that we continue to pillage.
Our relatively new awareness still has the power
to halt the self-destruction of our environment
and, on a global level, of our entire world. Art
and photography, expressions of a universal
language, are able to raise awareness about
the world that surrounds us. This is what I try
to do through my images – highlighting the
interdependence between humanity and his
environment, in particular water. In order to
avoid the descent of our planet and universe
into a self-administered chaos, it is our duty
to inform others with the knowledge of the
smallest individual behaviours which may save
the four elements of the cosmos – water, wind,
earth, and fire – to put it simply, life itself. Thus,
like the wise saying, “something as small as the
flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause
a typhoon halfway around the world”.
