Colonization Chess

Motif: The work depicts a surreal scene on a continuously textured ground: a green playing field in the foreground transitions into a chessboard pattern. Various animals – shark, stag beetle, amphibian, and gorilla – stand on clearly defined squares like game pieces in a system. Two human figures, a man and a boy, are also on this field. An atomic bomb (model "Fat Man") also appears like a chess piece, becoming part of the strategic order.

Background: Several symbols structure the scene. The football player wears the number 12 – a reference to the "Gros" (twelve by twelve) and thus to a system of those currently in power. The man's back view conveys an anonymous position of power that focuses on strategy rather than relationship. In contrast, the boy seeks eye contact with the frog, suggesting a remaining connection to the living environment. The animals appear isolated on their squares, thus seeming less like free beings and more like resources within a larger game.

Effect & Meaning: The work reflects a "monetary" principle – the idea that the world is increasingly economized and strategically managed. Living beings, spaces, and even technological means of violence become pawns in a global system. The depiction thus appears both analytical and critical: it shows how power, mathematics, and technology can supersede the natural order and raises the question of what role individuality and life still play in such a structure.