Purple

John Akomfrah, British, born 1957

Purple, 2017

Purple comes from an exhibition titled “Our World is Burning” or “Notre Monde Brule” in the Palais de Tokyo in Paris France. The exhibit was shut down for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic which perfectly adds to the message of Akomrah, in which the world is at a breaking point or a point of no return. The dramatized message is displayed from the overwhelming movie theatre view. Purple is the last room of the exhibition. The six screens act to represent the Anthropocene, displaying the various crisis in our world from displaying cruel Animal testing to a melting Mount Everest. The remarkable feature of this work is what should be said for the fact that humans will view these on six large screens from a dark museum in one of the largest cities in the world. As many criticisms mention the issue of placing too much value on to the aesthetics of ecological crisis, Akomfrah tries to combat this by creating an uncomfortable chaos. Playing loud noises of animals and natural disaster viewers are urged to feel unnerved and ready for action. Label by Annabel Bentley

Benicia Hammer

Clifford Rainey, British, born 1948

Benicia Hammer, from the “Hand Tools” series, 2018

Glassmaker Clifford Rainey’s studio Napa studio was destroyed in the 2017 Atlas Fire. He lost his entire artistic archive and his studio equipment—his past and future. In an attempt to work through the emotional loss, he began creating artwork using debris from the fire. This triptych consists of a charred metal hammer head, a cast glass impression and a pencil drawing of the hammer.  Rainey’s work addresses the ghostly memory of the lost things we once held, in this case quite literally the burnt wooden handle. All that is left is the impression of it in the hollow glass cavity, rubbed with ashes from the fire. The remaining metal head is now ineffectual as a tool, so Rainey now uses it in a process of healing. For him, the absence of the artist’s hand tool reflects the loss of agency to establish identity, to ensure financial stability, and to create artistic legacy. Label by Kelly Conway

In this work, Rainey repurposes tools recovered from the rubble of California forest fires. The tools are placed in dialogue with both their former purpose and the fires that rendered them unusable. The blueprint like drawings that depict the tools in plain, practical form are interrupted by the smudge of ash. The glass cast of the tool captures the initial strength and form of the tool in space and time while also creating a sense of emptiness. Lastly, the incomplete section of the hammer on the left shows the charred nature of the actual tool. Each of these components of the work speaks to function and utility that has been decimated by the fires. Similarly to these tools, many individuals faced a loss of purpose and function in the wake of the fires. This work speaks to the remembrance of past purpose, while keeping in view the irreversible impact of the fires by demonstrating stark white depictions of the tools alongside the dark smudges and coatings of the burn. Label by Gwyneth McCrae

Amazon Deforestation

Victor Moriyama, Brazil

Amazon Deforestation, 2019

Victor Moriyama, a Brazilian photojournalist, focuses his work on South America and the Amazon rainforest. Moriyama documents social and environmental violence in regards to agrarian conflicts, deforestation and conservation of rainforests, genocide of indigenous individuals, and climate change. This photograph is part of Moriyama’s “Amazon Deforestation” project, which highlights how the Amazon rainforest is faring under the control of Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro. Fire in the Amazon rainforest is primarily caused by humans as a result of ranching and logging, which can be defined as ecocide. This image is an aerial photograph, displaying how the scorched forest encroaches on the lush jungle landscape. The Amazon rainforest has an important role in regulating climate change and is home to diverse wildlife as well as thousands of indigenous people, which are all being disregarded and destroyed by fire for profit. Label by Elsa Rall

Horses panic as a fire burns near Canberra, Australia

Brook Mitchell, Australian

Horses panic as a fire burns near Canberra, Australia, 2020

Sydney-based photographer Brook Mitchell’s images of the Australian bushfires and their aftermath illustrate the surreal visuals of a land ravaged by fire. The 2019-2020 fire season, thought to be exacerbated by climate change, was one of the most devastating in Australia’s history, destroying some 2,000 homes and killing about 30 people. The fires also claimed unnamed numbers of animal victims, both wild and farm animals like the horses fleeing flames at Tallabrook Lodge near Canberra. Besides calls for a better climate change response, Australian activists have expressed hopes for a return to aboriginal practices of controlled burns and fire prevention, which could provide a solution to future fire threats. Label by Sarah Roberts