The Future is Present: Art and Global Change

   February 6 – May 9, 2021
   Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MO

Marina Zurkow, Mesocosm (Wink, TX), 2012, custom software. © Marina Zurkow.

Artists Included:
Marina Zurkow

The Future is Present: Art and Global Change will examine the intersections between art and some of the world’s most pressing issues: climate change, environmental crisis and the related global repercussions. The exhibition explores the innovation of artists and their commitment to understanding humankind’s material impact on nature and technology’s role in understanding this global emergency.

The Future is Present will emphasis the urgency of topics ranging from deforestation and astronomical phenomena to tech waste. The artists assembled bring perspectives from across the planet, and they will use video, sound, virtual/augmented reality and upcycled materials to address this theme.

According to Curator Dana Turkovic, the exhibition’s title is inspired by a quote from Bertrand Picard, a co-pilot of the first solar powered balloon to attempt to circle the world non-stop. Turkovic says, “Describing his experience, Picard explained ‘when landing, it was like going back to the past’ realizing his ability to push the boundary of existing knowledge in his field of study.”

She adds, “In the spirit of this ground-breaking exploration, the exhibition will examine the insights of artists, highlighting how the visual culture sector is not only reflecting our world back to us, but doing so through the lens of technology, taking charge on our environment and reminding us that our future is the present.”

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