Review: ‘What if We Just Made Art, Not the Climate Crisis?’
Words by Xavier Farrow-Francis (he/she/they) and Maia Ingoe (she/her)
Generation Zero’s opening night for their exhibition, ‘What if we made art, not the climate crisis?’, felt close and touching. Run by the youth climate activism group, their aim was to curate art through community hui leading up to a competition, receiving over 80 submissions. The winners were featured in the exhibition hosted at Te Auaha from 15-26 April. The focus of the art was imagining what the world in 2050 could look like through art.
The opening event was hosted by Janine Kaminski and Annalies Veldmeijer, the coordinators of the competition and exhibition. In their opening speeches, their devotion to the climate and the communities of Te Whanganui-a-Tara was clear to see. This was partially due to the sheer amount of like-minded people lining up out the door, trying their hardest to share the intimate space. But it was also because of the passion, emotion, and hope put on display throughout the evening. Their speeches were full of emotion, as they welled up over the sight of everyone and getting to share what they’ve worked hard on since May 2022. “As young people, it is easy to look around and see what a bleak future holds for us and our world. Now, more than ever, it is essential to imagine a world where we and our planet can thrive,” said Kaminski.
Imagination and hope were a recurring theme throughout the night, and a focus of the exhibition. “We believe that imagining a planet where humans, nature, and animals thrive is not only necessary, but it's a radical way that we can challenge the status quo,” Veldmeijer echoed.
There was plenty of talent on display—murals, paintings, drawings, and other pieces featuring skilled, creative, and well-informed artists, with categories ranging from the ages of 10-18-years-old and beyond. A real sense of unity and community was felt in the murals, as the young artists depicted nature, humanity, technology, and coexistence. The other pieces on display echoed these feelings of hope for our climate, utilising many different art forms and styles to convey optimism. From drawings and collages, to graphite and photography, to song and poetry, the exhibition was teeming with inspiration.
The exhibition was something different for Generation Zero, as an activist group that has worked across climate action campaigns and policy development. “Throughout this project, one of our main goals was to show that activism comes in many forms, whether it's through art, whether it's for policy, or whether it's through purchase or any other form of activism,” Kaminski said in her opening speech.
A couple of these pieces were performed at the opening night too. 10-year-old Bill Kelly’s poem served as an accompaniment to his Dalí-inspired artwork, strikingly describing a ticking clock counting down to our future. Shan Jordan performed a song written for the exhibition after she saw a river filled with plastic bottles on the news. Next to the entrance, a space on the wall for visitors to share their thoughts and hopes for the future via sticky notes was an encouraging and heartfelt way to create more engagement with the community.
Kaminski and Veldmeijer’s hope for their exhibition is that more spaces like this one get the opportunity to materialise—spaces where people are encouraged to discuss climate change in more creative ways. “For me, I'd never painted before, and it helped me to feel like, ‘Okay, this is a way I can get some of that anxiety out so that people can come to the exhibition and think about how they can put hope into practice in the community,’” said Veldmeijer.