Artists Commit is the new branch of Galleries Commit, the initiative launched in New York by galleries committed to the fight against global warming (less known in Europe than its English cousin, the Gallery Climate Coalition ). The artists commit to this cause in particular through the publishing of a “Climate Impact report” of their personal exhibitions. Artists such as Anicka Yi, Allison Janae Hamilton, and Pipilotti Rist have already signed up for the task for their respective exhibitions at the Tate Modern, London, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, and MOCA, Los Angeles. We can thus observe that the transport of Anicka Yi’s works by plane emitted 47.13 tCO2e, by far the leading source of emissions for her exhibition, while food represented 3.94+ tCO2e for Pipilotti Rist’s exhibition, a significant figure notably due to the opening dinner organized by Hauser & Wirth! (so not just organic vegetables from the rooftops of LA). Tutorials are also regularly offered to new artists interested in carbon transparency.

While waiting to be able to transport works with the guaranteed zero-fossil fuels Aerocene balloons imagined by Tomàs Saraceno, we can follow the example of the great mamamouchi Olafur Eliasson, who in 2020 undertook a “zero plane” transport of his works between Berlin and Japan. It is, therefore, clearly possible to reduce emissions, you just have to do it… well in advance!

Alice Audouin
@alice.audouin

Translated by Stefano Vendramin

February 2022

Find all the articles from Impact Art News n°36 January / February 2022

Credits: AEROCENE, Schönfelde Launch, 2019

This article is also published in the Sustainable Art Market section of the Art Market Day newsletter by Le Quotidien de l’Art, Beaux-Arts Group (subscription required, contact: theartmarketday@lequotidiendelart.com ).

The Sustainable Art Market section, entrusted to Alice Audouin by Art Market Day, provides monthly news or expertise on the art market on environmental and sustainable development issues.