We are in the Anthropocene—the Holocene was left behind several decades ago. Human-induced global environmental changes will most likely leave a lasting record in rock. And we have heard it all: acidifying oceans, forests and other natural habitats transformed into cities and farms, widespread pollution, radioactive fallout, and mass extinction of species are just some examples of our imprint on the Earth. Yet, we seem to have become imperturbable, resistant to habit change. Even as witnesses of natural tragedies, ecology is not part of our personal agenda. David Opdyke, however, successfully explores such areas.
When artist David Opdyke (b. 1969, Schenectady, NY) wanted to address climate change in his work, he found the perfect medium in vintage, hand-tinted postcards. His large composite of 500 vintage postcards forming a mural, calls for a closer look. The early 1900s photographs transformed into postcards construct a mural that unfolds like a stage. Enough of Nature (2025) reveals its grand narrative from afar — a tapestry of colors and forms that coalesce into a massive wall of water approaching a coast. The pristine wilderness common in the Manifest Destiny style of the postcards is juxtaposed with fatalistic messages. From macro to micro, the inspection of each melodrama reveals an end-of-the-world nature. Opdyke introduces encampments, dooming messages, comical elements, absurdity and futurism. The mural is magnificently unified by fire smoke, tornadoes, crippling trees and curled up branches — as if holding their breath and witnessing the state of the Earth, what is left of their land. The artist takes inspiration from actual climate catastrophes such as droughts in the West, the 2019 Nebraska floods, the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, Indian cyclones, among many other natural disasters. The central valley is progressively crumbling; the American landscape, fading out.
