marclebihan

Contemporary Art to save the nature

Yesterday we attended the opening of the “Siamo Foresta” exhibition at Triennale Milano in collaboration with Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporaine. We are forest – is the language of contemporary art focused on nature and aiming to save it from human impact.

Beyond anthropocentrism

“Siamo Foresta (we are forest) draws its inspiration from an aesthetic and political vision of the forest as an egalitarian multiverse of living peoples, human and non-human, and as such offers an allegory of a possible world beyond our anthropocentrism. The exhibition stages an unprecedented dialogue between thinkers and defenders of the forest; between indigenous artists – from New Mexico to the Paraguayan Chaco passing through the Amazon – and non-indigenous artists (Brazil, China, Colombia, France).” – source

Siamo Foresta: artists involved

“Focusing on artists from Latin America, We Are Forest presents, amongst others, the works of Jaider Esbell (Macuxi, Brazil), Cleiber Bane (Huni Kuin, Brazil), Floriberta Femin, Angelica Klassen, Esteban Klassen, Marcos Ortiz (Chaco, Paraguay), Sheroanawe Hakiihiwë, Joseca Mokahesi, and Ehuana Yaira (Yanomami, Venezuela and Brazil), Johanna Calle (Colombia), Alex Cerveny, Bruno Novelli, Santidio Pereira, Solange Pessoa, Adriana Varejao, and Luiz Zerbini (Brazil).” – source

We recommend you visit the exhibition, it’s open until October 29!

As we entered the rooms, a quote caught our attention:

“The forest is alive. It can only die if the white people persist in destroying it: if they succeed, the rivers will disappear underground, the soil will crumble, the trees will shrivel up, and the stones will crack in the heat. The dried-up earth will become empty and silent.”

David Kopenawa, The Falling Sky 2010

Siamo Foresta: nature focused contemporary art

Captured by green in every shade and two corners of the forest installation with large lush plants we could walk through. And bright colours; but also some impressive black and white, all with potent imagery and a touching sense of light. Indeed we were amazed to discover the drawings some indigenous self-taught artists made just with a ballpoint pen.
A fun detail, a man saw Cri standing next to a painting in her anis slipdress by Marc Le Bihan and said: “Your colours perfectly match this painting. You should be in it! Let me take you a picture!”
Indeed, we all wore colours in line with the exhibition. Perhaps when we made our Spring-Summer 23, the forest mood inspired us!

In the end, another quote made us reflect:

“It began with separating man from nature and establishing him as a sovereign kingdom; it was thus believed to erase the most irrefutable character of him, namely that he is primarily a living being. And, remaining blind to this common property, the field has been given free rein to all abuses.”  

Claude Levi-Strauss – Structural Anthropology 2

This quote from Claude Levi-Strauss – Structural Anthropology 2 – is dated 1973. In 2023, fifty years later, there’s a summit on sustainability every day! Nothing has changed over time. In fact, now climate change is irreversible, but we are just talking.