A gallery in London has curated a collection of art for an exhibition which shines a light on the climate crisis through the lens of hope.
‘Dear Earth: Art and Hope in a Time of Crisis’ at the Hayward Gallery in Waterloo is part of the Southbank Centre’s ‘Planet Summer’, a series of talks, exhibitions and performances about the environment.
Featured artist Otobong Nkanga centres the exhibition, with her suggestion that ‘to care is a form of resistance’ forming the theme for the whole collection.
Marie-Charlotte Carrier, Assistant Curator at the Hayward Gallery, said: “The theme of hope was a deliberate choice for this exhibition because we acknowledge that addressing climate change requires not only an understanding of the challenges we face but also a sense of optimism and inspiration for the future.”
The exhibition features 15 artists, including pioneering environmental artist Agnes Denes as well as eight new commissions from artists and community groups.
It is also the first time artists Daiara Tukano and Aluaiy Kaumakan have been shown in a major UK gallery.
Carrier said: “Institutions like the Southbank Centre play a crucial role in the conversation about climate change because of our wide-reaching influence and ability to convene diverse audiences.
“We hope to provide a platform for important discussions, artistic expressions, and collaborative efforts that address pressing global issues like climate change.”
Many of the artists like Andrea Bowers, Imani Jacqueline Brown and Richard Mosse are also activists, who have created striking visual representations of the damage done to people and the planet by unsustainable practices.
Bower’s hanging sculpture ‘Memorial to Arcadia Woodlands Clear-Cut (Green, Violet and Brown)’ was made in 2014 as a shrine to a grove forest in California the artist had attempted to save through a sit-in protest.
Brown’s 2022 film work ‘What remains at the end of the earth’ focuses on extractionist practices in Louisiana, drawing a line between polluting petrochemical companies and the 300 year history of removing value from the land, be it by the forced removal of native people, plantations reliant on slavery or through oil and gas extraction.
Mosse too focuses on the human element of illegal mining and agribusiness in the Amazon with his 2023 film installation ‘Grid (Palimi-ú)’ showing impassioned speech from the Yanomami people living on the Brazil-Venezuela border.
Carrier said: “The intersection of art and activism is a powerful force for driving social and environmental change.
“In our selection process, we placed great importance on artists who are also activists because their work often carries a call to action.
“These artists bring a sense of authenticity and passion to their work, effectively conveying their messages and encouraging viewers to take steps towards positive change.”
There is also work that isn’t obviously activist, but instead celebrates the natural world as a way to encourage the audience to protect it.
Filmmaker and moving image artist Hito Steyerl’s work ‘Green Screen’ is an LED lighted screen, made from empty bottles and crates, backed by a wall of living plants, projecting moving images of plants.
Bioelectrical signals from plants have been converted into a soundscape which accompanies the visuals.
Steyerl’s work, like many of the pieces in the exhibition, was an attempt to give the planet a voice, with a bit of hope, maybe we will all start listening.
