When the World Shatters: Art in Troubling Times
When the World Shatters brings together recent paintings, unfinished works and studies with my reflections on war, the loss of trust and environmental destruction. Some of these works were intended for my Series on War. Here, expressive brushwork, fragmented forms and unsettled spaces accompany a personal response to a world in crisis.
When the World Shatters sounds like a dramatic title. Most likely, we all experience the current events on the world stage from different perspectives, influenced by our geographic location. Nevertheless, few are truly satisfied with recent developments. When a world shatters, it doesn’t happen overnight; it is a continuous process. But like everything destructive, this collapse occurs much faster than any constructive buildup. Here are some of the cracks and fractures in a nutshell.
The blue composition brings together bird-like gestures, pale fragments and abrupt changes of direction. These forms can suggest flight, collision or dispersal without resolving into a single scene. The tension between recognisable shapes and abstraction gives a visual counterpart to the sense of rupture in this essay. Explore more of this visual language in my abstract surrealist ink paintings.
The Decay of Diplomacy and Order
A core development is the destruction of diplomatic institutions and the near-total disappearance of diplomacy. It is in the nature of things that countries with different cultures, ethnicities, histories, and religions have different interests. If we want or need to maintain relationships, the high art of diplomacy is required. If we abolish it, we head toward the “right of the strongest.”
In this reduced composition, a small cluster of black strokes carries much of the visual weight. The surrounding emptiness makes each gesture more exposed. The relationship between brushwork and open space connects this work with my broader interest in calligraphy.
As a result, alliances shatter, even though cooperation is crucial for peace, progress, and the future. If we offend old friends, try to take advantage of them, or treat them like enemies, they will eventually turn away and forge new alliances [1].
This external collapse is mirrored in language: when words are manipulated to justify actions, the foundation of truth shatters. International institutions face growing political pressure. The sanctions directed at the International Criminal Court are a concrete example of this attack on the structures intended to uphold international justice [2].
Breach of Trust and the Era of Fortune Seekers
When the world shatters, all credibility and trust vanish. Whether in private partnerships, friendships, or the economy: Once trust is gambled away because one party cares only about personal gain, the fracture is almost impossible to mend.
We are entering the era of “Fortune Seekers.” Personal gain, extortion, and bribery are no longer practiced behind closed doors; they are even boasted about. A so-called elite, driven by greed, wants to grab as much as possible before the show ends.
This greed creates a sophisticated system to accelerate wealth accumulation. It is no longer just about siphoning off funds; it is about manipulating the system so that even more is generated. The misuse of confidential information for personal profit is one concrete example. The SEC’s 2024 insider-trading case involving options in a related company illustrates this problem [3]. For me, such cases raise a larger question about what happens when private gain takes precedence over public trust.
Boundless Destruction
When enough has shattered, there is no stopping it. The devastation in Gaza has exposed children and other civilians to bombardment, displacement and the destruction of homes, schools and hospitals [4]. With every child killed, not only does the world of their parents shatter, but a cornerstone of humanity and civilization breaks as well.
The environment, nature, and the oceans are also shattering. In Gaza, centuries-old olive groves are being razed to the ground; elsewhere, areas are burned down to buy land cheaply. Bombardment and damaged infrastructure leave debris, pollution and serious risks to soil, water and ecosystems [5]. These losses extend far beyond the immediate destruction: they threaten the conditions on which future recovery depends.
Social Decay and Inner Distress
Finally, societies shatter from within. Once internal strife reaches a certain level, a war is often started because an external enemy provides a sense of unity. The same applies to religion: godless actors within a “clerical-fascist” architecture, who constantly practice lies and deceit, now form the phalanx of “holy warriors.” War serves as another source for enrichment or a way to launder stolen money.
Against the dense red ground, the pale forms appear both solid and interrupted. Their broken arrangement can evoke a structure that no longer holds together. Here, a restrained composition accompanies the discussion of social fracture and inner distress.
This macrocosm of chaos finds its counterpart in the microcosm of the individual. The spiritual balance is disturbed: external destruction leads to inner destruction through fear or numbness. When all these points intertwine, the world finally shatters.
P.S.: This article may sound more pessimistic than intended and perhaps overlooks the immense opportunities that lie ahead once this dark phase has passed. True renewal will require us to move beyond greed and embrace a more just distribution of our world’s resources. It is high time we recognize that the well-being of the whole depends on the balance of its parts. Refocusing on constructive, equitable action isn’t just an option—it is a necessity, and it is long overdue.
Footnotes / References
[1]: Global Risks Report 2025 — World Economic Forum. Identifies armed conflict, disinformation and environmental risks as major challenges, within an increasingly fragmented global landscape.
[2]: ICC statement on US sanctions, 7 February 2025. A direct source for the sanctions directed at the Court. For the broader humanitarian-law context, see the Geneva Academy’s WarWATCH IHL in Focus Report, July 2024–December 2025.
[3]: SEC litigation release: Matthew Panuwat, 8 April 2024. Reports the jury verdict in an insider-trading case involving confidential acquisition information and options in a comparable company. This is a specific case, rather than evidence that such conduct has become a general norm.
[4]: Human Rights Watch, World Report 2025: Israel and Palestine. Covers civilian harm, displacement and damage to essential infrastructure during 2024. The report’s period should be distinguished from subsequent developments.
[5]: UNEP, Environmental Impact of the Conflict in Gaza, 18 June 2024. A preliminary assessment of debris, pollution, damage to infrastructure and risks to ecosystems and recovery.
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