Next Season: Art meets science in a new exhibition on the climate crisis in Costa Rica
Artwork created during residencies of the Next Season project will be exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in San Jose from April 22.
Undertaken by the Directorate of Climate Change of the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Next Season aims to explore the intersections of the contemporary art research and the sciences in light of climate change along with the concepts of adaptation, mitigation, and climate action.
The exhibition Next Season: Art and Science in the Face of the Climate Future will kick off next Thursday, April 22, at the Costa Rican Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MADC, its Spanish acronym) in San Jose. Open to the public until June 19, the exhibition will showcase works depicting climate change adaptation and mitigation developed by eight artists during residencies in some of the most important scientific centres in the Central America country.
Undertaken by the Directorate of Climate Change of the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Next Season aims to explore the intersections of contemporary art research and the sciences in light of climate change along with the concepts of adaptation, mitigation, and climate action. This project is financed in part by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany via the NDC Partnership Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP).
Eight Costa Rican artists, selected in January through a public call, will exhibit their climate crisis work developed during residencies in the scientific centres. From February to April, Elia Arce, Carlos Fernández, Esteban Hidalgo, Sara Mata, Rosella Matamoros, Óscar Ruiz Schmidt, Jonathan Torres, and Christian Wedel developed projects that combined their artistic research interests with climate crisis information and data.
"Our country has been a pioneer in providing ideas and practical solutions to address climate change, but we need to broaden the discussion on the climate crisis to new territories. The eight works exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design bring the Costa Rican public closer to climate change issues and offer alternatives beyond technical reports. I hope this is just the first of many Next Season exhibitions and initiatives,"
Through their artwork, the artists pose urgent questions about the impact of climate change on various aspects of our lives, such as our interactions with ecosystems, in addition to proposing new dialogues between arts and science. With their cross-disciplinary approaches, the eight pieces exhibit different strategies to address the climate crisis, from direct confrontation to a thought-provoking poetic approach.
Watch the video about our project Next Season:
According to the director of MADC, Paz Monge, "hosting interdisciplinary initiatives such as Next Season in the museum allows the exploration of art as a common ground for different disciplines, contributing to the visual arts sector. These projects bring us even closer to the impacts of climate change, creating a collective cultural awareness around it. The MADC becomes an instrument for promoting this fundamental issue for global well-being."
The selection of the projects to be exhibited at MADC was made by an independent selection committee comprised of Daniel Morchain, Policy Advisor in Adaptation at IISD; Daniel Soto Morúa, Chief Curator of MADC; and Ximena Loría, Founder and Executive Director of Asociación Misión 2 Grados (appointed by the DCC), who evaluated the projects from among 60 proposals received during a public call for proposals process.
“The overvaluation of technocratic knowledge at the cost of a more social approach is a gap that has always existed in relation to efforts to adapt to climate change impacts. More is known about the impact of drought on agricultural yields than on gender relations or people's mental health. Next Season contributes to filling this gap and demonstrating that bringing citizens closer to climate issues through art will result in more effective adaptation and mitigation efforts."
"The artists intend not only to draw attention to specific problems but to highlight the interconnectedness that underlies those derived from climate change; and thus, they raise our awareness of the complexity of the world that surrounds us and alert us to the ruptures in our relationship with it. Next Season works seek to reveal the ecological, social, economic and political consequences related to climate change," said Fernando Chaves Espinach and Daniel Soto Morúa, curators of the exhibition.
These are the exhibition's artists and their projects:
As part of his residency with the National Climate Change Metrics System (SINAMECC) and the Centre for Geophysical Research (CIGEFI).
As part of his residency with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).
As part of his residency with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).
As part of her residency with the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR).
As part of his residency with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).
As part of her residency with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).
As part of her residency with the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).
As part of his residency with the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR).
Next Season is a complement to the actions on climate change carried out by the Costa Rican government, including instruments such as the National Adaptation Policy, the National Decarbonization Plan, and the Nationally Determined Contribution. These instruments establish a way forward, and efforts such as Next Season seek alternatives and new ideas.
This exhibition is also part of the cultural activities celebrating 200 years of Costa Rica independence.
Photos: Pablo Cambronero
SUMMARY
Next Season: Art and Science in the Face of the Climate Future
Collective exhibition curated by Daniel Soto Morúa and Fernando Chaves Espinach.
Rooms 2 and 3 of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MADC) at the National Culture Centre (CENAC), San José, Costa Rica
From 22 April to 19 June 2021, Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4:55 p.m.
For media inquiries, please contact:
- Cesar Henrique Arrais | chenriquearrais@iisd.ca
- Diego Arguedas Ortiz | comunicacion@cambioclimatico.go.cr
- Randall Serrano Torres | comunicacion@madc.cr
About IISD
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 250 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.
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