Manege Central Exhibition Hall continues its series of discussions as part of the NEW NOW, international online platform.
NEW NOW is a forum for dialogue, generating new meanings, and rethinking our relationship with ourselves in a changing world. The programme is a response to the most vivid ideological transformations and challenges of modernity and an aid in the creation of our common future.
The third discussion, “New ecological thinking: art initiatives and eco-activism”, will take place on November 18. The speakers will be Lucia Pietroiusti and Suzanne Dhaliwal, moderated by Anna Kirikova.
The discussion starts at 8 p.m. UTC +3.
The event will be held online in English with simultaneous interpretation into Russian.
Live stream of the discussion will be available on the NEW NOW website.
At the meeting, we will discuss: What is the ecological agenda of today and what are the main concepts it entails? We will explore topics from the Anthropocene theory, “dark ecology”, and the “sixth extinction”, to the “climate renaissance”, criticism of “white supremacy”, and the decolonization of eco-activism practices. How deep is the connection between the environment and socio-economic development? What role do cultural institutions and interdisciplinary practices play in the emergence of a new kind of ecological thinking? And what is each individual’s personal responsibility in this changing world?
Lucia Pietroiusti, curator of ecological programs at the Serpentine Gallery (London), will discuss how cultural institutions work with issues connected with the environment and what practical tools they might offer for actions we can take every day.
Researcher and eco-activist Suzanne Dhaliwal will focus on the eco-political aspects of climate change and will also discuss her work with indigenous peoples on the front lines of environmental catastrophes.
BIOS
Lucia Pietroiusti is a curator working at the intersection of art, ecology, and systems, usually outside of the gallery format. She was the founder of and is currently curator of General Ecology at the Serpentine Galleries, London, as well as the curator of Sun & Sea (Marina) by Rugile Barzdziukaite, Vaiva Grainyte, and Lina Lapelyte, and of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 58th La Biennale di Venezia International Art Exhibition.
At the Serpentine, Pietroiusti founded the long-term project General Ecology, which she currently directs and curates. General Ecology presents live events, radio programmes, and publications, and organises ongoing research projects. Pietroiusti is also a co-curator of Back to Earth, the Serpentine’s 50th anniversary programme dedicated to the environment (ongoing).
Suzanne Dhaliwal is a Climate Justice Creative, Campaigner, Researcher, Lecturer in Environmental Justice and Trainer in Creative Strategies for Decolonisation.
Suzanne was voted one of London’s most influential people in the category of The Environment in 2018 by the Evening Standard. In 2009 she co-founded the UK Tar Sands Network, which challenged BP and Shell investments in Canadian tar sands in solidarity with frontline indigenous communities, spurring the internationalisation of the fossil fuel divestment movement. Her corporate and financial campaigning spans more than a decade, including her spearheading of a European coalition to challenge the insurance industry on their underwriting of high-pollution coal and tar sands projects. Suzanne has led artistic interventions to challenge fossil fuel investments globally and currently works as a creative practice tutor and freelance consultant.
Event moderated by Anna Kirikova (Manege) – NEW NOW programme creator.
The event is part of the international UK – Russia Creative Bridge programme 2021-2022 supported by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow.
Image copyright: Sharon McCutcheon / unsplash.com