Planet For Our Future: How Art Inspires Environmental Awareness

#Sainsbury_Centre_for_Visual_Arts

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is making a powerful statement with its new art exhibition season titled ‘Planet for Our Future: How do we adapt to a transforming world?’. Through the transformative power of art, the exhibition aims to raise awareness about the pressing environmental crisis we face today. The first exhibition of this season, ‘The Stuff of Life| The Life of Stuff’, invites visitors to explore the connections between capitalism, over-production, and the impact of Western consumerism on other countries. It also encourages us to reflect on the true life of ‘stuff’ and the actual cost of its production while fostering a deeper connection with our planet.

Entrance to Gallery 2: 'The Life of Stuff| The Stuff of Life'. Photograph by Gabriella Sentina

Upon entering the Sainsbury Centre, visitors are greeted by a series of books connected to the exhibition’s themes, as well as a catalogue edited by John Kenneth Paranada and Vanessa Tothill - the exhibition curator. The catalogue takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating politics, poetry, science, art, and philosophy. The Planet For Our Future exhibition is spread across the Centre’s art landscape. In the lower galleries, the space has been divided into sections, each highlighting different issues. As you descend the spiral staircase on the right-hand side of the entrance hall (a lift is available), the first wall text provides an overview of the exhibition project. Large text guides are conveniently provided in this room. A table is also placed here displaying single-use plastic materials, with which visitors are invited to interact and create their own upcycled art, which will later be showcased in cabinets for all to see. This interactive approach blurs the line between artist and visitor, representing a revolutionary shift in the traditional gallery experience.

Down the corridor, three bays showcase works that prompt us to reconsider our relationship with the coastal ecosystem. The concept of our connection to the coastal environment is effectively conveyed through texts and artworks, including coastal artefact collections from North America and Oceania, videos displayed in Bay 2, and sculptures exhibited in Bay 3. In Bay 2, a display titled ‘Coral Love’ curated by Sarah Wade, captures visitors' attention, with the video Coral Love Story: Chapter 1 – Getting Acquainted by artist Kasia Molga stealing the spotlight. This video proved to be a favourite among children and grown-ups alike. The space in this bay is thoughtfully arranged with comfortable beanbags and benches, creating a cosy atmosphere that families love. The soft lighting adds to the immersive experience, making it even more enjoyable for viewers.

Fabrice Monteiro, 'The Prophecy, Untitled No.11, Ogun', 2013, photograph. Courtesy of the artist & MAGNIN-A Gallery, Paris.

The second gallery, the largest of the three, cleverly divides the room into sections using the Centre’s sustainable modular wall system combined with upcycled boards from previous exhibitions. The introductory wall text to ‘The Stuff of Life|The Life of Stuff’ reveals the curator’s Marxist and social art-historical approach, making connections between the value of consumables and the capitalist societies that produce them. Here, visitors are invited to revalue everyday consumables and consider their true cost by interacting with a touchscreen where they can select the impact of each object used in Mary Mattingly’s artworks. This interactive element helps to deliver the exhibition’s message in a dynamic and engaging way. The gallery showcases a diverse range of artistic mediums, including e-waste and plastic, shedding light on the effects of overproduction, overconsumption, and waste. The videos played throughout the gallery raise awareness about how waste creates new landscapes where synthetic and organic matter intertwine, giving rise to both mythical realms and dystopian scenarios. Transcripts for audio-visual material are conveniently available at the entrance to the screen room.

The artworks featured in this gallery, created by international artists such as Mary Mattingly, Fabrice Monteiro, and Diana Lelonek, take visitors on a captivating journey, showing the sad consequences that capitalism has had and is having on our planet. The final gallery confronts visitors with the impact of Western consumerism on other countries. Additional large text guides are provided for visitors to consult, further enriching their understanding of the artworks on display. The artworks showcased here ingeniously repurpose objects sourced from the environment, including nylon string and electric and aluminium copper wires, to create stunning artworks like El Anatsui’s Freedom,2021. By engaging with the artworks in this gallery, audiences are encouraged to shift their perspective towards responsible consumption and renew their appreciation for our shared future and planet.

El Anatsui, 'Freedom', 2021, aluminium, copper and nylon string. Private Collections.

Curated by Vanessa Tothill with the assistance of a team of experts who meticulously curated the spatial layout and lighting, this international exhibition effectively delivers its message about the environmental emergency through informative and easily readable wall texts, interactive activities, and thought-provoking artworks. ‘The Stuff of Life| The Life of Stuff’ presents a powerful and direct narrative that encourages visitors to reconsider their impact on the planet in a positive and engaging manner. The impeccable organisation of the event allows for an excellent appreciation of each artwork, ensuring a memorable and impactful experience for all who attend.

By Gabriella Sentina

Acknowledgements and exhibition overview:

Mezzanine Gallery: Sediment Spirit, curated by John Kenneth Paranada

Lower Galleries:

Gallery 1: Planetary Connections, a collaboration between the Sainsbury Centre, Time and Tide Museum (Great Yarmouth), and the Museum of Anthropology (Vancouver). Curated by the Sainsbury Centre Learning.

Link Bay 1: Coastal Communities curated by Sainsbury Research Unit.

Link Bay 2: Coral Love, curated by Sarah Wade

Glass window in the corridor: Sediment Spirit teaser curated by John Kenneth Paranada

Link Bay 3: Beginning of The Stuff of Life/The Life of Stuff curated by Vanessa Tothill

Gallery 2: The Stuff of Life/The Life of Stuff curated by Vanessa Tothill

Gallery 3: The Stuff of Life/The of Stuff curated by Vanessa Tothill

Special Thanks:

I want to thank Vanessa Tothill and Beatrice Prutton for their warm help in creating this article.