Representations of the natural world have long been a feature in art throughout history. Particularly at the turn of the 21st century, the rapid pace of industrialisation and consumerism, alongside the escalation of climate change, have had profound impact on both urban environments and fragile ecologies.

Examining the socio-political concerns that have played a role in this transformation, contemporary artists have been presenting alternative perspectives on what our environment, both present and future, may behold.

The exhibition features artists whose works present diverse entry points to reconsider the urgency of human impact on the living world, through research, documentary-making, speculative narrative, as well as sustainable practice.

The onset of global warming underpins Kent Chan’s work, which calls for a reconsideration of what life might be, in a world that no longer has climate distinction. Chow and Lin’s research on fishing industries seeks to determine the impact of overfishing, in terms of the scales of production and consumption. Piyarat Piyapongwiwat explores the excesses of capitalism and its consequences on marginal communities, systems of labour, as well as the environment. Questioning how the act of exhibitions-making itself has environmental implications, art collective DASSAD presents an intervention in this exhibition with a call for greater sustainable practices, within the art world.

Artists:

Kent Chan, Chow and Lin, DASSAD, Piyarat Piyapongwiwat