Water

Lukova created Water for an international exhibition at the UN Climate Change Conference that took place in 2001 in Marrakesh, Morocco. Inspired by the Renaissance depiction of Madonna and Child, Lukova’s stunning portrait of love and loss addresses the man-nature relation and desertification of land. The mother’s armless body is cracked and gray as parched earth, but we can still see the pride and concern she feels for the crying baby that lies on her chest. Instead of statistics regarding rates of mortality, instead of discussions about drought and its impact on the African continent, Lukova’s in-our-face, one-on-one work of art asks us to really feel what it’s like to love a child then watch it die.