In the last year, environmental issues have become more pressing than ever. Scientists warn that nations will face dire consequences if they fail to shift from fossil fuels. Artists are often faced with this grim reality. Many express concern, if any, at the inaction of climate scientists, which has led to the destruction and intensification of wildfires, rising seas levels, and the extinctions of beloved animal species. The LA Art Show has made climate change a top priority. The Show will be launching the eagerly awaited 2022 art season with an ecological focus thanks to the return from DIVERSEartLA.
This year’s edition, which starts today at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, sheds light on artists’ representations of the environment, as well as how humanity plays a part in the equation. Marisa Caichiolo is the show curator. She encouraged museums to collaborate with science and environmental organizations to help them confront the complex challenges presented by the global climate crisis. This topic is the focus of increasing numbers of art narratives. They include exhibitions made with high-tech innovations that aim to inspire artistic appreciation as well as the desire to address environmental challenges. It also reinforces the importance of translating environmental advocacy into art.
Our turn to Change, a worrying video installation by Gabriel Penedo Diego (Museum of Nature of Cantabria) that alerts viewers to the melting polar ice caps and the consequences for sea level rise, is one of the highlights of the programming. The Torrance Art Museum presents Memorial to the Future by Max Presneill, a collaborative piece that focuses on Brutalist architecture as a failed form of idealism and highlights the urgent need for environmental action. Guillermo Anselmo Vezzosi has created The Earths Fruits, where waste is given a dignified second chance.
The LA Art Show will open at the Los Angeles Convention Center South Hall starting Jan. 1923.