An exhibit featuring artwork inspired by the fossil fuel crisis opens this weekend at a non-profit gallery in Athens, Georgia.
The exhibit, titled "Running on Empty: the fossil fuel addiction" is curated by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King and brings together the work of 17 artists from around the country.
The featured artist is international photographer Christoph Gielen, whose aerial photography reveals hidden geometries in the sprawling subdivisions and spaghetti junctions that are partly responsible for the steep increase in greenhouse gas emissions over the last half-century. Their stunning compositions and intense details bring a concrete reality to the concepts of energy production and consumption, according to King.
"Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA) has been working to bring Mr Gielen’s thought-provoking work to Northeast Georgians for more than three years," he said.
Other pieces of interest include drawings by David Macaluso, whose elegant renderings of commodity prices are coated with used motor oil, as well four large-scale paintings by Morgan Craig that depict wasteland scenes from shuttered coal plants and oil refineries.
The exhibit addresses a range of issues concerning fossil fuel use, from environmental degradation and climate change to social issues, like war and urban planning.
"We received more than 50 submissions from around the world," King said. "It was fascinating to see how so many different artists grappled with the issue of fossil fuel dependence."
King said the majority of submissions dealt with oil as a subject and were rather bleak. As a result, he chose to exhibit some energy solutions as well, to add a positive slant to the exhibit. So, in addition to photography, print, large-scale paintings, mosaic and video, the exhibit also includes a SunPower solar panel, a small wind turbine made by Air Breeze and a Vectrix electric scooter.
"I think people will be excited to see these objects up close," King said. "Especially after viewing the artwork, which is something of a gut-punch."
The exhibit opens with a reception Saturday January 31st and runs through March 22, when the gallery will host a symposium featuring round tables with participating artists and representatives from the green industry. The exhibit is sponsored in part by the internationally known, Athens-based band REM.
To learn more about the exhibit and a collection of the artwork, link to the ATHICA website below.
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