Symbiocene

Artists: Silvia Andrade, Iri Berkleid, Odonchimeg Davadoorj, Cheryl Derricotte, Kalie Granier, Elise Guillaume, Anne - Sophie Guillet, Summer Mei Ling Lee, Yelena Moskovich, Hannah Rowan, Clémence Vazard, Bella Riza and Inês Neto dos Santos

L’Eté des Serpents, Jun – Aug 2022, Arles

symbiosis, noun - interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both. - a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups.

Symbiosis is described by biologists as the living together of different organisms for a long period of time and for their mutual benefits. It is a way of thinking about all forms of life as connected. Because even if we often don’t notice the patterns of interdependencies, the permeating of life intertwines with and feed off each other. The title Symbiocene comes from a term coined by environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht. In his essay Exiting the Anthropocene and entering the Symbiocene, Albrecht argues that the next era of human history should be named the Symbiocene, from the word symbiosis, to subvert the human-centered perspective that dominates and exploit all forms of lives. In her book Staying with the Trouble, Making Kin in the Chthulucene, philosopher Donna J. Haraway also offers new ways to think about our relations with the Earth and its inhabitants. She proposes a moment to learn to stay with the trouble of living in response-ability on a damaged earth.

Drawing from these theories and many others, the multidisciplinary exhibition Symbiocene interrogates how we can learn to navigate the complexity of living and dying together on this planet? What does it mean to be human among other non-human beings today? How can we reflect on our connection to others, humans, and non-humans? What type of relationships can we imagine? Can we celebrate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life forms as the source of mutual flourishing?

Symbiocene dwells on how to think about our trajectories as woven with one another to imagine possibilities to build more liveable and harmonious futures. Or maybe is it a love song to the natural world and to all those who inhabit it? Symbiocene is the opening exhibition of l’Eté des Serpents, a non-profit contemporary art space rooted in feminist and ecological values. Symbiocene brings together the work of eleven artists around ideas of symbiosis, interconnectedness, and interdependence. With their multiple voices and works, Silvia Andrade, Iri Berkleid, Odonchimeg Davadoorj, Cheryl Derricotte, Kalie Granier, Elise Guillaume, Anne - Sophie Guillet, Summer Mei Ling Lee, Yelena Moskovich, Hannah Rowan and Clémence Vazard imagine forms of relationships between humans and non-humans, inviting us to care of them.