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The installation “Tree of Life – Man of Death”, a collaborative work by Nelisa Nela Baždar, Marija Ličina, and Ira Skopljak, addresses issues of pollution, smog, and human negligence toward nature. The tree, a symbol of life, oxygen, and fertility, is “trapped” in an urban context – isolated and wounded by human actions. Its wire branches symbolize the tree’s death and humanity’s alienation from nature, while the black color of tar “bleeding” from the tree represents how nature “returns” what we give it. The glowing chakras embedded in the trunk suggest hope, energy, and the potential for inner transformation. The installation is placed indoors, emphasizing how nature and life are confined within walls, concrete, and asphalt, while the destruction of nature also signifies the destruction of humanity.

The tree is made of wooden boards and PUR foam, with real branches from nature. Wire branches and glowing chakras enhance the visual and symbolic layers of the work.

The installation also includes a video showing a person wearing a gas mask trying to reach clean air, while smog gradually engulfs both the tree and the human – a metaphor of a vicious cycle – and a performance that visually explores the cycle of life and death through the tree.

Symbolically, the work critiques materialism and greed, humanity’s alienation from nature, the circular relationship of destruction, as well as hope and the possibility of regeneration. The installation calls for ecological awareness and responsibility, reminding viewers that change is possible.

The work was presented at the 17th Youth Biennale of Europe and the Mediterranean in Milan. Through the concept “Freedom Within Limitation”, the artists connect ecological critique with existential reflection on life, death, and the interconnection between humans and nature.