On the Edge of the Horizon

Curatorial Statement
by Diane Drubay and Tina Sauerlaender

Post-natural landscapes are taking shape all around us, influenced by both non-human and human factors. When we know that humans are using 75% of Earth’s ice-free land area directly (IPCC Climate Change & Land Report, 2020), how can we talk about natural landscapes anymore? These artificial environments, layered with the remains of destruction and the emergence of the new, make us wonder: what map will lead us forward?

The exhibition On the Edge of the Horizon. Navigating Post-Natural Landscapes curated by Diane Drubay (Blueshift) and Tina Sauerlaender (Radiance VR) discusses the modifications of the Earth’s cultural heritage: How do post-natural entities carry on millions of years of history? How do post-natural species and habitats continue to develop in the future? The artists present artworks at the edge of a turning point in which digital entities, AI and other non-human factors gain influence on post-natural landscapes. They speculate on evolutionary processes (Laura Colmenares Guerra, Mohsen Hazrati, Anke Schiemann), reimagine natural lifeforms and materials (Chiara Passa, Tamiko Thiel), lead us into hybrid landscapes between naturality and artificiality (Sandrine Deumier, Tonio Mundry, Laura Fong Prosper) or explore the transient nature of life and the cyclical processes (Andrea G Artz, Alla Popp).

The artworks look at the past, present and future and prompt us to view destruction as a phase of transition, an opportunity to rebuild, rethink, and regenerate. Natural, artificial, speculative landscapes appear in an ever-changing state of metamorphosis, where dystopia and utopia meet in the transformation and evolution of the reborn Earth.

Artworks Collection
Available on objkt.com
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Charitable Component
Five percent of the revenue will be donated to the nonprofit organization One Earth.