Press Release COAL, France

In the spring of 2024, COAL presented in Paris the first edition of COALITION, a major multidisciplinary exhibition celebrating the 15th anniversary of COAL, the leading association for art and ecology in Paris. An adapted version of the exhibition, specifically conceived for the French Institute of Turkey in Izmir, brings together twelve artists representing the richness and variety of approaches on the ecological art scene. Together, they conjure up the community of imaginaries that has grown up over the 15 editions of the Prix COAL, the association’ flagship initiative for the promotion, support and dissemination of artists around the world who bear witness to, imagine and experiment with the ecological revolution.

 

 

International ongoing exhibitions

Coalition

Institut français, Izmir (Turkey)

21.02 - 26.04.2025

Français

Deutsch

Today, the state of our ecosystems leaves us no choice but to be ecologically minded. At a time when soils are contaminated, forests asphyxiated, living organisms are collapsing, and climate change is spiraling out of control…Why can’ we preserve, care for and defend the Earth we share?

A new generation of artists, all from different backgrounds, is working to redress the balance. Describing, warning, acting, not in the illusion of saving the world, but in the hope of influencing behavior, of weaving new collective narratives, developing common heritages and heritage, conscious, positive and necessary frameworks, to bring about more virtuous behavior, new alliances between the different kingdoms of the living, and to defend more than ever what we hold dear: the freedom and beauty of the world as we want it to continue to exist.

As if to gain a foothold in the face of the vertigo of collapse, these artists draw the contours of what is slipping away, giving a face to the Anthropocene, making perceptible the hidden pollution, the destruction of ecosystems and the invisible suffering. Far from fatalism, they are building the conditions for resistance and resilience, honouring the words of the poet Hölderlin: “here peril grows, that which saves also grows”

Like a river that grows and makes its bed by embracing the diversity of its nourishing lands and the flows that feed it, these artists amplify our sensitive relationship with the world by constantly renewing practices, knowledge and know-how. From political action to restorative practices, from the arts of the hand to the arts of the earth, in connection with thinkers, scientists, citizens and activists who seek, transform and act, art has the power not only to alert and denounce, but also to repair and connect through gestures of care and sharing. It contributes to the growth of this COALITION, this community of attentions and actions that are essential if everyone is to find the inspiration, the means and the courage to implement transformations towards a more sustainable and fairer world.

Artists participating in the exhibition: Ackroyd & Harvey (UK), Brandon Ballengée (US), Lélia Demoisy (FR), Beya Gille Gacha (FR), Camille Goujon (FR), Suzanne Husky (FR), Shivay La Multiple (FR/NC), Lucy + Jorge Orta (UK/AR), Stéfane Perraud et Aram Kebabdjian (FR), Erik Samakh (FR), Momoko Seto (JP), Michael Wang (US).

Curated by : Lauranne Germond, co-founder and director of COAL and Sara Dufour, COAL Program Director

Exhibition 21 February - 26 April 2025. French Institute of Turkey in Izmir, Cumhuriyet Blv. No:152 - 35220 Alsancak İzmir (Turkey). T. +90 (232) 466 00 13.

 

 

 

 

© ArtCatalyse International / Marika Prévosto 2025 All Rights Reserved

Momoko Seto, PLANET, 2014. Film still. © Momoko Seto