This exhibition’s proposal called for work to raise awareness of carbon footprints and cycles. But the exhibition’s goal is surreptitious. The real question is whether witnessing this art change our actions. If you are reading about this show, you are likely already aware that climate change results from our perverse relationship to carbon. Will experiencing this work improve our actions more than reading a book of statistics?
Artwork gathered here memorializes carbon loss, recycles material to avoid further loss, and creates objects that will outlast the commercial material around it. Carbon appears as petroleum in plastic, in concrete as power use, as sequestered and released in trees, as avoided through wind power. The work inquires into the future foisted on new generations and offers a meditative focus needed to face this challenge.
But is this enough? This exhibition challenges you to honestly assess whether environmentally aware art truly affects your actions. It may not. Or it may – but not enough. After all, for systemic change, individual efforts do not suffice. Only your actions will answer these questions.