Contemporary artists engage with the issues affecting our world, from human rights abuses to the climate emergency. We’re living in a time where the impact of the climate crisis is clearer than ever, with record-breaking extreme weather and entire countries facing the prospect of becoming completely submerged by rising sea levels. In recent years, galleries all around the world have put on thought-provoking exhibitions centring artists who use their work as a call to action. Big names such as Olafur Eliasson, Mandy Barker and Steph Huang might spring to mind. Now, UCLA’s Hammer Museum contributes to the cultural conversation with their latest exhibition: Breath(e): Toward Climate Social Justice. The show addresses the inescapable intersection between the environmental emergencies we face and the issues of equity and social justice. Part of Getty’s PST Art: Art & Science Collide programme, the space will be filled with 100 pieces from 25 international artists, including LaToya Ruby Frazier, Tiffany Chung and Michael Joo.

Here, many artists reveal to audiences the extent of disastrous governmental or corporate practices, which may not immediately reveal their impact on communities or ecosystems. Instead, the consequences become evident over long stretches of time. This is what South African scholar Rob Nixon (b. 1954) referred to as “slow violence” in his book Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor (2011). Vietnamese-American artist Tiffany Chung (b. 1969) illustrates this concept by drawing our attention to forced migration and human displacement resulting from climate change. She highlights the experiences of many climate refugees, including her own. On view is stored in a jar: monsoon, drowning fish, color of water, and the floating world (2010-11). These are a collection of large-scale vernacular architectural models suspended in the middle of the room. We see boats, buildings and parks eerily floating in space. It’s a piece that considers scientific projections that portions of Vietnam will be fully consumed by rising sea levels by 2050.

Elsewhere, creatives are exploring the possibilities of new technology to visualise the urgency of the climate emergency. Breath(e) is a truly expansive exhibition, boasting a wide variety of practices, ranging from photography and augmented reality to painting and sculpture. Some of the most futuristic work can be seen in American artist Michael Joo’s (b. 1966) OG: CR 12 (2021-present) series, which he created together with digital artist Danil Krivoruchko and technology lab Snark.art. They collaboratively generated a collection of more than 10,000 NFTs modelled after the crystalline structure of coral reefs. The underlying algorithm was subsequently used by scientists at the University of Hawai’i to create 3D prints derived from calcite crystal formations, the basis of coral exoskeletons and reef structures. Today, these are being used to study the development of fish species reliant on coral reef habitats.

Breath(e) addresses the existential dangers posed by the climate crisis. It’s an issue that affects so many aspects of our lives, and we are still learning more and more about the knock-on effects as new research and international news comes to light. From forced migration to destroyed ecosystems, it’s a threat that poses numerous lasting consequences. Through the power of art, Hammer’s exhibition advocates for a non-hierarchical worldview influenced by ancestral indigenous knowledge, which envisions all elements of nature as one family rather than as materials for use and exploitation by humankind.

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The Hammer Museum, Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice | 14 September – 5 January

hammer.ucla.edu

Words: Diana Bestwish Tetteh

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Image Credits:

1. Michael Joo, Danil Krivoruchko, Snark.art, a growth generation of OG:CR 12, 2021 © Michael Joo, Danil Krivoruchko, and Snark.art
2. Tiffany Chung, stored in a jar: monsoon, drowning fish, color of water, and the floating world, 2010–11 Plexiglas, wood veneer, plastic, aluminum, paint, steel, cable, foam, copper wire. 236 ¼ × 118 1/8 in. (600 × 300 cm). Post Vidai. Courtesy of the artist.
3. Ryoji Ikeda, point of no return, 2018 DLP projector, computer, speakers, paint, HMI lamp. Dimensions variable. Concept/Composition: Ryoji Ikeda. Programming: Tomonaga Tokuyama. Photo: Takeshi Asano; © Ryoji Ikeda; courtesy of Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art.
4. Tiffany Chung, stored in a jar: monsoon, drowning fish, color of water, and the floating world, 2010–11 Plexiglas, wood veneer, plastic, aluminium, paint, steel, cable, foam, copper wire. 236 ¼ × 118 1/8 in. (600 × 300 cm). Post Vidai. Courtesy of the artist