The Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF) launched an intriguing new exhibition, Ecospheres, as the first in a trilogy exploring the theme of Worldmaking. This exhibition opened to the public on 31 May 2024 and is an essential experience for anyone interested in ecology, the environment, and the ways in which we inhabit our world.
Understanding Worldmaking
Worldmaking is the process by which we shape our environments through symbolic practices, integrating social conditioning, scientific rationality, artistic traditions, and our survival instincts. Over the next three years, JCAF will delve into this theme through a series of exhibitions, talks, and publications. Clive Kellner, JCAF’s Executive Director, emphasizes the importance of this drive towards meaning-making, noting how it influences our conscious and unconscious efforts to build our world.
Ecospheres: Making-With the Environment
Ecospheres specifically addresses ecology and the environment through the concept of making-with, which suggests a collaborative creation process where humans are bound to the earth and its ecosystems. This perspective encourages a sense of stewardship and responsibility for the earth and all living creatures.
Exploring the Symbioscene
The exhibition introduces the notion of Symbioscene, advocating for a harmonious interaction between all living creatures, contrasting with the current Anthropocene era where human activity dominates climate and environmental changes.
Atmosphere Rooms: Water, Air, and Earth
Ecospheres is divided into three Atmosphere Rooms, each dedicated to a different element and its relationship with humanity:
- Water: This room highlights water’s role in connecting the natural world to people, places, and identity.
- Air: Air is explored as both a political and poetic construct, examining bonds of kinship, migration, diaspora, and atmospheric violence.
- Earth: This section delves into indigenous knowledge and sustainability, exploring how local traditions inform the creation of art, culture, and food.
An Immersive Experience
The exhibition features a variety of immersive installations, including hydroponic plants, oceanic-inspired knitted textiles, botanic photography, sound installations, and meditative paintings of migratory birds. A newly built Reading Room, designed by Wolff Architects, serves as a library for the Ecospheres Reader and is intended for gatherings and discussions.
Featured Artists
Ecospheres showcases works from a diverse group of international artists, including Sutapa Biswas, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Bronwyn Katz, Zayaan Khan & Coila-Leah Enderstein, Mater Iniciativa in collaboration with Alejandra Ortiz de Zevallos Rodrigo and Isabella Celis, Rithika Merchant, Ernesto Neto, Zizipho Poswa, Jonah Sack, Zina Saro-Wiwa, Russell Scott, and Michael Tsegaye.
Special Projects
Wolff Architects and Rebecca Potterton contribute special projects, adding unique dimensions to the exhibition.
Visit Ecospheres
Ecospheres runs from 31 May to 7 December 2024. Admission is free, but viewing is by appointment only. Book your visit on the JCAF website from 17 May 2024 to ensure you don’t miss this enlightening exhibition.
For more information, visit JCAF’s website and follow them on Instagram @foundation_jcaf.
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