Forecast
Virginia Commonwealth University | School of the Arts Anderson Gallery, Virginia, Richmond, 09/05/2014 - 12/07/2014
ABOUT
This exhibition brings together recent work by six artists whose creative practices are propelled by keen attention to the insidious effects of human impact on the planet, in light of escalating environmental disaster. Sculpture, painting, video, and photography, as well prints and multimedia installations, are featured.Several artists pursue research-based work that involves participating in scientific expeditions or otherwise interacting with specialists in the natural sciences. They are part of a larger group of artists who strive to foster a dialogue between disciplines and are adept at doing so, often with the aim of putting climate-change issues in the cultural realm for discussion. As Mark Dion observes, “Science is very good at telling us how things work and what things are, but art can put those facts into a context which is social, historical, and subjective… art can express how we as a society and as individuals feel about that.”
The diverse bodies of work gathered here embody numerous concerns and themes: the concept of landscape as a bearer of cultural values; the transformation of nature into a commoditized, industrial, or synthetic landscape; the complexities underlying geopolitics; the effects of industry and human behavior on animal habitat and biodiversity; the paradox and limitations of data-based abstractions created to visualize fragile and inaccessible ecosystems; the relative assignment of value to people, things, cultures, and places; the heightened sense of impermanence and concomitant anxiety stemming from displacements, migrations, and relocations; the looming threat of extinction and erasure; and the importance of both pursuing individual critical inquiry and recognizing our communal culpability. As Amy Balkin asks, “How do you understand the future of where you live?”
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This exhibition brings together recent work by six artists whose creative practices are propelled by keen attention to the insidious effects of human impact on the planet, in light of escalating environmental disaster. Sculpture, painting, video, and photography, as well prints and multimedia installations, are featured.Several artists pursue research-based work that involves participating in scientific expeditions or otherwise interacting with specialists in the natural sciences. They are part of a larger group of artists who strive to foster a dialogue between disciplines and are adept at doing so, often with the aim of putting climate-change issues in the cultural realm for discussion. As Mark Dion observes, “Science is very good at telling us how things work and what things are, but art can put those facts into a context which is social, historical, and subjective… art can express how we as a society and as individuals feel about that.”
The diverse bodies of work gathered here embody numerous concerns and themes: the concept of landscape as a bearer of cultural values; the transformation of nature into a commoditized, industrial, or synthetic landscape; the complexities underlying geopolitics; the effects of industry and human behavior on animal habitat and biodiversity; the paradox and limitations of data-based abstractions created to visualize fragile and inaccessible ecosystems; the relative assignment of value to people, things, cultures, and places; the heightened sense of impermanence and concomitant anxiety stemming from displacements, migrations, and relocations; the looming threat of extinction and erasure; and the importance of both pursuing individual critical inquiry and recognizing our communal culpability. As Amy Balkin asks, “How do you understand the future of where you live?”
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