The term “ark” invariably conjures images of the monumental boat onto which pairs of animals were stewarded prior to a cataclysmic, biblical flood. It’s a reference that feels apt amid the climate crisis and our planet’s rising sea levels, although in this case, the melting ice caps and creeping tides are down to us. The large-scale exhibition titled The Ark at Powerhouse Arts asks, will we care for the future of our planet the way we care for the animals we love?
The presentation draws directly on the myth if The Deluge from Genesis, “an event of epic scale that becomes a metaphor for the present moment, where environmental and social upheaval converge,” says a statement. “Throughout the exhibition—experienced in the round, in close proximity, and at monumental scale—the animals function as both protagonists and interlocutors.”
Colossal readers may recognize the work of Kiki Smith, Nichola Theakston, Anthony Theakston, Wangechi Mutu, Jeffrey Gibson, and more. In all, more than 50 artists are represented through 90 sculptures and installations. The pieces run the gamut of materials, from wood and stone carvings to cast bronze and resin. A group of pigeons by Maurizio Cattelan perch on structural beams and both Nichola and Anthony Theakstons’ bronzes speak to the sacredness of animals, while John O’Reilly’s rendition of an emaciated female dog crouching over her pup plucks a heart-rending chord. Throughout the exhibition, emotional evocations span joy, amazement, humor, trepidation, and grief.
Curated by artist Eric Fischl, the show was first staged at The Church in Sag Harbor, a historical whaling town. Now in Brooklyn, the The Ark lands in the former warehouse space of Powerhouse Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to fabrication and production, on the Gowanus Canal. The building is known as the “Batcave” and sits adjacent to what’s designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Superfund site, a heavily polluted area in need of concerted cleanup efforts.
The physical location and its surroundings present a post-industrial background to a show about nature, the environment, and material exploration. Visitors are invited to walk through a room filled with animals from floor to ceiling, invoking elements of surprise and wonder. Powerhouse Arts adds, “Rather than framing environmental themes through notions of crisis and urgency alone, the exhibition centers on relationships and intimate encounters.”
The Ark continues through August 30 in Brooklyn. Find more on the organization’s Instagram.
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