In this new artistic season, collaboration is the answer to today’s challenges. Whether through collective practices between artists, engagements with local communities or co-creation with the non-human world, the emphasis is on the importance of working together and helping each other to respond to ecological and social challenges.

The Art of Change 21 team has selected 20 not-to-be-missed international exhibitions for you this autumn, highlighting the creative power of the collective.

EUROPE

Mutual Aid. Art in collaboration with nature
Maria Thereza Alves, Michel Blazy, Bianca Bondi & Guillaume Bouisset, Caretto/Spagna, Agnes Denes, Hubert Duprat, Henrik Håkansson, Tamara Henderson, Aki Inomata, Renato Leotta, Nicholas Mangan, Yannis Maniatakos, Nour Mobarak, Precious Okoyomon, Giuseppe Penone, Tomás Saraceno, Robert Smithson, Vivian Suter et Natsuko Uchino.
Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli, Italy
31/10/2024 → 23/03/2025

Curated by Francesco Manacorda and Marianna Vecellio, Mutual Aid: Art in Collaboration with Nature highlights artists who have been collaborating with the non-human world since the 1960s. The exhibition is inspired by the concept of mutual aid proposed by the Russian philosopher and zoologist Piotr Kropotkin (1842-1921) at the beginning of the last century.

 

Science/Fiction — Une non-histoire des Plantes
Ágnes Dénes, Jochen Lempert, Gohar Dashti, Elspeth Diederix, Anaïs Tondeur, Imogen Cunningham, Joan Fontcuberta, Stephen Gill, Angelika Loderer, Timur Si-Qin (among others)
Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP), Paris, France
12.09.2024 → 28.01.2025

Science/Fiction traces the visual history of plants through art, technology and science, from the 19th century to the present day. Bringing together over 40 artists from different eras and nationalities, the exhibition juxtaposes historical photographic works such as cyanotypes, plant inventories and scientific experiments, with creations by contemporary artists.

 

Forest Futurism
Uriel Orlow
Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland
27/09/2024 → 05/01/2025

Uriel Orlow presents a new chapter in the research he began in Bolzano, exploring the long history of climate change, with fossilised trees as the main protagonists.

 

Orangerie der Fürsorge (Orangerie of Care)
Rob Crosse, Marlene Heidinger, Bethan Hughes, Dunja Krcek, Samir Laghouati-Rashwan, Julia Löffler, Anne Marie Maes & Margarita Maximova, Jesse McLean, PARA, Laure Prouvost, Lex Rütten & Jana Kerima Stolzer, Shirin Sabahi, Hoda Tawakol, Sophie Utikal
Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK), Berlin, Germany
12/09/2024 → 17/11/2024

Orangerie der Fürsorge explores changing forms of care within social, medical and environmental practices. The exhibition highlights collaborative and community-based projects that challenge traditional care structures, seeking to redefine how we care for others and our environment.

 

Manifesta 15
Lin May Saeed, Binta Diaw, Elmo Vermijs, Diana Policarpo, Julian Charrière, Eva Fàbregas (among others)
Barcelona, Spain
08/09/2024 → 24/11/2024

The 15th edition of Manifesta focuses on collective urban transformation and the power of citizens to reinvent their cities. Through artistic interventions and collaborative projects, Manifesta 15 focuses on sustainability, social justice and community-driven change in urban spaces.

 

Binta Diaw, ‘Dïàspora’ (2021 – 2024), Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana © Cecília

Sky Gazing
Douglas Gordon, Angelica Mesiti, Roni Horn, Søren Thilo Funder, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander Calder, Ib Geertsen, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Tacita Dean, Katie Paterson, Lucienne Rickard (among others)
ARoS, Aarhus, Denmark
05.10.2024 → 16.02.2025

Curated by Juliana Engberg, this exhibition explores how artists draw their inspiration from the cosmos, questioning its immensity and its artistic and environmental impact on Earth. Bringing together contemporary artists and Danish and European masters, it highlights humanity’s timeless fascination with the heavens, from detailed observations to abstract interpretations.

 

Katie Paterson, Earth-Moon-Earth (2007) and Totality (2016), Sky Gazing, ARoS 2024. @ Anders Sune Berg ARoS

L’Âge atomique Les artistes à l’épreuve de l’histoire
Julian Charrière, Bonita Ely, Susanne Kriemann, Tatsuo Ikeda, Isao Hashimoto, Pierre Huyghe, Hiromi Tsuchida, Yoko Ono, Gustav Metzger, Chris Burden (among others)
Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Paris, France
11.10.2024 → 09.02.2025

This exhibition explores how 20th-century artists responded to the discovery of the atom and the impact of the nuclear bomb. Addressing themes such as the disintegration of matter, the atomic bomb and nuclearisation, it examines the intersection between art, science and politics, reflecting humanity’s evolving relationship with technology and its consequences.

 

Nullpunkt
Rodrigo Braga
MQ Freiraum, Vienna, Austria
27/09/2024 → 23/02/2025

Rodrigo Braga’s work subtly addresses socio-ecological issues, focusing on the utilitarian exploitation of the environment. He explores themes such as transformation, identity and the vulnerability of the human body, often using his own physical presence to create symbolically charged and emotionally evocative pieces.

Arte Povera
Pierre Huyghe, Adrián Villar Rojas, Otobong Nkanga, Giuseppe Penone, Pino Pascali, Giovanni Anselmo, Jannis Kounellis, Marisa Merz, Theaster Gates, David Hammons (among others)
Bourse de commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris, France
09/10/2024 → 20/01/2025

Curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the Arte Povera exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce highlights the impact of this Italian movement of the 1960s through over 250 historical and contemporary works. Featuring key figures such as Giovanni Anselmo, Giuseppe Penone and Marisa Merz, the exhibition explores the interplay between natural and industrial materials, while demonstrating the movement’s continuing influence on contemporary artists worldwide.

CHINA

Soft Conch
Trevor Yeung
Aranya Art Center, Aranya Gold Coast, Qinhuangdao, China
27/10/2024 → 02/03/2025

In his latest solo show, Trevor Yeung offers a sensory walk around a life-size sculpture of an oak trunk made of soap. The installation explores intimacy, desire and human connection, using tactile and sonic elements as well as scattered shells to engage the senses and challenge perceptions of exposure, time and identity.

 

The River
Minerva Cuevas
Cc Foundation, Shanghai, China
05/11/2024 → 26/01/2025

Minerva Cuevas’ mural The River interweaves Mesoamerican and Chinese iconography to address themes of water, civilisation and environmental justice. The mural integrates ancient symbols with contemporary corporate logos, criticising the commodification of water.

JAPAN

Forest Festival of the Arts Okayama: Clear-skies Country
Bianca Bondi, AKI INOMATA, Chiharu Koda, Ernesto Neto, Yuka Mori, Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, Kimsooja, Asim Waqif, Masanobu Emi, Tarek Atoui (parmi d’autres)
Okayama, Japan
28/09/2024 → 24/11/2024

Under the direction of Yuko Hasegawa, this international festival in Okayama explores forest ecology and the symbiosis between it and humanity. Forty site-specific works in Okayama’s forests, caves and hot springs have been created in collaboration with local experts.

 

SOUTH KOREA

There Exists Another Evolution, But In This One
Anicka Yi
Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
26/09/2024 → 27/10/2024

Anicka Yi’s exhibition explores the “biopolitics of the senses” – how culture and social position condition our perception of the world. Using organic materials such as bacteria and tempura-fried flowers, the artist examines the connections between human and non-human life. His interdisciplinary approach addresses the limits of intelligence, focusing on entities such as algae and machines to challenge anthropocentric perspectives.

 

Anicka Yi, Each Branch Of Coral Holds Up The Light Of The Moon (2024), single-channel video © Anicka Yi, Leeum Museum of Art and Gladstone Gallery.

 

Gangwon International Triennale 2024
Ana Mendieta, Bosco Sodi, Mary Mattingly, Tomas Saraceno, Regina José Galindo, Rivane Neuenschwander, Ken & Julia Yonetani, Sander Wassink, Le Phi Long, Jung Yeondoo (entre autres)
Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea
26/09/2024 → 27/10/2024

The Gangwon Triennial 2024 draws on local history and heritage, drawing inspiration from underground ecosystems such as anthills. It uses these hidden structures as metaphors to explore the relationship between humans and the non-human world, focusing on ecological and environmental challenges through site-specific artistic expressions.

 

The 15th Gwangju Biennale: PANSORI, a soundscape of the 21st century
Bianca Bondi, Gaëlle Choisne, Binta Diaw, Agnieszka Kurant, Katja Novitskova, Josèfa Ntjam, Emeka Ogboh, Max Hooper Schneider, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Tabita Rezaire (among others)
Gwangju, South Korea
07/09/2024 → 01/12/2024

Curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, the 15th Gwangju Biennale brings together over 70 artists to explore contemporary political and ecological challenges. Through site-specific installations and immersive works, the exhibition addresses environmental and public concerns, using sensory and sound experiences to reflect on the interaction between art and these global issues.

 

PAKISTAN

Lahore Biennale 2024: Of Mountains and Seas
Ravi Agarwal, Carolina Caycedo, Inland, Sopheap Pich, Tomás Saraceno, Hira Nabi & Nida Rehman, Trevor Yeung, Yasmeen Lari, Jennifer Tee, Zheng Bo (among others)
Lahore, Pakistan
05/10/2024 → 08/11/2024

This third edition, curated by John Tain, brings together over sixty artists from South and Southeast Asia and beyond to address pressing issues such as catastrophic flooding, environmental degradation and social inequality. The artists propose aesthetic, sensory and conceptual responses to these challenges, while drawing connections between the histories of Lahore, Pakistan and other regions of the world facing similar crises.

Zheng Bo, Phoenix (2024), Lahore Biennale Foundation © Lahore Biennale Foundation

UNITED STATES

Energies
Ash Arder, Liu Chuang, Gina Folly, Louisa Gagliardi, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Becky Howland, Jean Katambayi Mukendi, Saba Khan, Agnieszka Kurant, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Vibeke Mascini, Gordon Matta-Clark, Haroon Mirza, Joar Nango, Ruth Nazario, New Affiliates, Otobong Nkanga, Nick Raffel, Gabriella Torres-Ferrer
Swiss Institute, New York, USA
11/09/2024 → 05/01/2025

Energies explores ecological and social issues related to energy production and consumption. The exhibition combines historic works and new creations, spread between the Swiss Institute building and the East Village neighbourhood, highlighting the local history of community energy initiatives.

 

Life on Earth: Art & Ecofeminism
Alliance of the Southern Triangle (A.S.T.), Alicia Barney Caldas, Meech Boakye, Carolina Caycedo, Francesca Gabbiani, Masumi Hayashi, Institute of Queer Ecology, Kite, Leslie Labowitz Starus, Maria Maea, Otobong Nkanga, yétúndé olagbaju, Alicia Piller, Aviva Rahmani, Tabita Rezaire, Yo-E Ryou, Emilija Škarnulytė, and A.L. Steiner
The Brick, Los Angeles, United States
15/09/2024 → 21/12/2024

Part of the Getty’sPST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative, this exhibition presents four decades of ecofeminist thought and action in art.

 

Open
Olafur Eliasson
The Geffen Contemporary, MOCA, Los Angeles, United States
15/09/2024 → 06/07/2025

As part of the Getty’sPST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative, this in situ installation offers an immersive sensory experience and encourages visitors to reflect on their relationship with their environment and the atmospheric conditions of Los Angeles.

 

AUSTRALIA

The Soils Project
Uncle Dave Wandin and Brooke Wandin, Megan Cope and Keg de Souza, Peta Clancy, D Harding, Badan Kajian Pertanahan, Lian Gogali and the Institut Mosintuwu, Moelyono, Pluriversity weavers, Wapke Feenstra, Riar Rizaldi (parmi d’autres)
Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Melbourne, Australia
05/08/2024 → 24/11/2024

The Soils Project is an experimental exhibition exploring the cultural and ecological significance of soil, both as matter and metaphor. The project, initiated in 2018 and deployed between Australia, the Netherlands and Indonesia, highlights the links between climate change and colonization.

 

Aloïs Loizeau

Selected in collaboration with the Art of Change 21 Editorial team

Translation: Eliza Morris

Cover: © Bianca Bondi, ‘Forest Bathing’, Forest Festival of the Arts Okayama: Clear-skies Country, Japan

Impact Art News, September – October #50

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