Climate Change, Art and Activism in South Florida: An Artist Talk
Rendering of “The Reefline Project” (2019) by Sebastian Errazuris for HoneyLab. © All Rights Reserved.
At a recent virtual artist talk hosted by Dot Fiftyone Gallery in Miami, Florida, three panelists, and a moderator, curator Veronica Flom, shared insights on how the inception and processes of some of their work grapple with a myriad of issues related to the environment. Specifically, during the hour-long conversation, they discuss how their current projects are a response to the effects of climate change in South Florida and what the possibilities may be for its sustainability. The lecture was a mini-round table of artists and creators that included, Ximena Caminos founder of HoneyLab and Artistic Visionary Planner for The Underline, Kate Fleming, founder and Executive Director of Bridge Initiative, and Anastasia Samoylova, whose current exhibition “FloodZone” can be seen at Dot Fiftyone until Sept. 19.
The first time I saw Samoylova’s work was at the Perez Art Museum Miami last summer, well before the idea of a pandemic infiltrating every aspect of our daily lives became a reality. The piece was titled, “Fountain”, 2017, and it portrays a hallway with pastel pink and turquoise painted walls with reflections of light bouncing off a pool of water lying perfectly still on the floor. There is a beautiful sheen that the photo captures on its metal surface which helps accentuate the water’s reflective quality. At first glance, it gave me a sense of stepping into the remnants of a natural disaster, which we Floridians are accustomed to. It felt familiar. Easy to relate to, but also like from a dream.
“FloodZone” Exhibition by Anastasia Samoylova. Photo Courtesy of Dot Fiftyone Gallery, Miami, FL.
Fast-forward a year to the present moment and the multi-layered work of Caminos, Fleming, and Samoylova, each with their unique path that converges on the subjects of art-making, the environment, and public engagement. Caminos spearheads projects on multiple ends by working with other artists and performing “acts of urban acupuncture” as she calls it. One recent example is the temporary installation of 66 car shaped sculptures made of sand parked on the beach in “The Order of Importance” by Leandro Erlich, which debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach. With an emphasis on site-specific projects, much of her work urges us to consider our roles in placemaking. Described as an underwater sculpture park of artificial coral reefs, The Reefline Project is yet another ambitious collaboration that melds the expertise of scientists and designers to bring forth the seemingly impossible. The project is a 2019 Knight Arts Challenge Winner and is projected to be nine miles long with some parts as deep as 16 feet. Phase one of the project is slated to launch in late 2021.
Left to Right: Ximena Caminos, Kate Fleming, and Anastasia Samoylova.
Courtesy of Dot Fiftyone Gallery.
A nexus of art and nature
The multi-pronged issues that climate change brings with it from sea level rise to devastating wildfires and more frequent and intense hurricanes, cannot be addressed fully in an hour-long talk. However, what Flom and the panelists accomplished during the virtual event was spark a conversation about an ever-present issue that affects everyone on the planet, whether they engage with art or not, and whether they live in South Florida or not. The talk reaches an interesting point when Flom asks them to comment on the “aestheticization of climate change”. Given the contemporary gallery context, it’s a fair point to raise. In other words, how does presenting a subject of severe life-threatening consequences in a stylized manner, such as photography, affect the conversation? Does it diminish its importance? Does it elevate it in some way? Or is it inconsequential?
With Samoylova’s exhibition “FloodZone”, which will be traveling to other parts of the world after Miami, the implications are much graver if we choose not to engage in the conversation. A self-acknowledged outsider to South Florida, she was a recent transplant when Hurricane Irma hit in 2017. With her camera, she seized the opportunity to excavate the aftermath, and thus a longterm project was born. While the project includes photographs taken across the southern United States over the last three years, the theme is clear throughout. You’ll often hear her refer to it as “climate anxiety”, a term that underscores the troubling reality of day-to-day life where the threat to the environment and humans are of equal importance, and yet appears to remain in the rearview mirror of our consciousness. Her work doesn’t shy away from letting the wear and tear brought on by climate change in Miami show. A head-on collision is already here.
“Flooded Garage”, 2017, by Anastasia Samoylova. Courtesy of Dot Fiftyone Gallery.
“Not talking about climate change in Miami would be a disservice,” says Kate Fleming, who grew up in Miami engaging with Biscayne Bay’s natural habitat. Now, she leads efforts of awareness and advocacy such as the Coral City Camera, a live underwater camera that monitors marine life in the coral reefs just off the shoreline in Miami, FL.
“The Tea Room, Vizcaya”, 2018, by Anastasia Samoylova. Courtesy of Dot Fiftyone Gallery.
The intersection of art, activism, and environmental advocacy is a deep dive for anyone interested in exploring it. Exhibitions, public programs, and talks that foster this level of engagement help communities understand the challenges we face collectively. They can serve as sounding boards for “bigger than we” problems. One key takeaway from the talk is that addressing a subject that is bigger than us, such as the existential threat that climate change poses, requires all hands on deck from concerned citizens to experts alike. Under the great big umbrella that is art, Samoylova’s documentation of climate change and the environment is an exception to a point Richard Serra made once on the overreliance of images for engaging the senses. Furthermore, the panel’s work proves that as our human values evolve, so does the way they are expressed in various art forms. The question is when faced with persistent threats, how will these changing values translate into concrete plans?
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