The Anthropocene (/ænˈθrɒp.əˌsiːn) was popularised as an environmental term at the dawn of the 21st century by Paul Crutzen, the Dutch Nobel laureate and pioneer on atmospheric chemistry; it constitutes a proposed geological epoch that starts with the beginning of the first important human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems, including climate change caused by human activity.
During the unsettling times of a global pandemic and national lockdowns, which seem to have emerged out of dystopic fiction, what does it mean for earth and the anthropocene to remain on hold? Which are the challenges and the environmental concerns that are raised for an artist? How can social distancing and quarantine reshape artistic practices and environmental narratives? In which ways can covid-19 impact environmental crisis and our general perception of the issue?
In response to this unprecedented and urgent situtation and its toll on the planet’s well-being and safety, PCAI, on the occasion of the “Anthropocene On Hold exhibition“, has invited 20 international visual artists to address the gravity of a global pandemic and its impact on art engagement and production as well as earth’s resilience and sustainability. James Bridle, Ionian Bisai & Sotiris Tsiganos, Matthias Fritsch, Kyriaki Goni, Markus Hanakam & Roswitha Schuller, Hypercomf, Rindon Johnson, Evi Kalogiropoulou, Lito Kattou, Bianca Kennedy and the Swan Collective, Marcin Liminowicz & Trang Ha, Charly Nijensohn, Kosmas Nikolaou, Ira Schneider, Andrew Norman Wilson participate with new works in PCAI’s first online group exhibition curated by Kika Kyriakakou; an ongoing digital project that will be hosted on PCAI’s YouTube Channel from May 14 to December 31, 2020.