CHINA ART SHOW FACES CLIMATE CHANGE

Beijing Art Show Confronts Climate Change

Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore, May 23, 2013 (Wall Street Journal)

“Residents of this smog-choked city are uniquely prepared for an impassioned discussion of the environment…[and the] nonprofit Cape Farewell hopes to inject the topic into the cultural sphere…[with] ‘U-N-F-O-L-D,’ a group exhibition of works showing artists’ reactions to the environment…Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts is hosting the show, which has toured previously in the U.S. and Europe. It moves to the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts in June.

“Pieces range from ‘The Hot Breath of Our Civilisation,’ an LED text display by ‘Atonement’ author Ian McEwan, to music by Scottish pop star KT Tunstall. Perhaps most striking is ‘Polar Diamond’ by Ackroyd & Harvey. The pair discovered a polar-bear skeleton during their trip to the Arctic. They cremated one of its bones, extracted carbon from the residue ash, then artificially created a diamond.”

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“Cape Farewell founder David Buckland believes that the purpose of the show is to explore the subject of climate change in a more emotional and accessible way…[and] say: ‘Look, this is the reality we are facing’…[Buckland] projected slogans such as ‘Discounting the Future’ onto icebergs and photographed the results…

“If ‘U-N-F-O-L-D’ aims to shock, it also wants to educate…[There will be a Beijing workshop with photography students after the exhibition] which will focus on pollution in the capital…[to] inspire China’s next artists to address one of the most pressing concerns of the moment…”

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