Ignoring the signs
Charcoal on paper
59 cm x 42 cm
Artist’s Statement
Ignoring the signs is inspired by a recurring reality in my everyday surroundings. Almost everywhere I go, I encounter warning signs that prohibit illegal dumping or public urination, yet those same spaces are often filled with rubbish or used in the very ways the signs discourage. The repetition of this contradiction made me question how easily neglect becomes part of our everyday lives.
This work explores more than environmental pollution. It reflects on our relationship with public spaces and the choices we make as members of a community. The figures deliberately ignoring the signs become a metaphor for a broader culture of disregard, where repeated acts of neglect gradually become accepted as normal.
Created as part of The Daily Strike series, the work adopts the visual language of a newspaper front page to document ordinary township experiences that are often overlooked. While the scene is drawn from my own environment, it represents a reality shared by many communities where warning signs exist, yet their message is continuously ignored.
The title refers not only to the physical signs in the environment but also to the social and environmental warning signs we choose not to acknowledge. Through this work, I invite viewers to reflect on personal responsibility and consider how everyday actions shape the spaces we collectively inhabit.
