Wonder and Reverence for the Natural World

The exhibition "Wonder and Reverence for the Natural World" asks questions and offers positive critique on how we should interact with our non-human counterparts. It also provides numerous other insights, offering visitors a series of possible instructions and hints on how to perceive their own realities.
 
Location: Pepiniera 1306—Piata Victoriei
 
future
with closed eyes, I run and encounter nothing; in my imagination, I traverse rivers, forests, and verdant meadows. I keep running and encounter nothing; I run with tightly closed eyes, cracked lips, and parched skin. My steps are heavy, and every movement becomes increasingly difficult on this dehydrated earth.
 
present
a world where human connectivity with the surrounding environment is dysfunctional. A world in which, over the course of many years of social practices, it seems we have forgotten to invite our non-human friends. A world steadily heading towards an eco-apocalypse. These are just a few characteristic phrases of the present.
What can be done, how can we shift away from the wrong direction to critically evaluate the contemporary resurgence of green utopianism? And to avoid repeating our destructive actions.
We relinquish the collective suffering in our hearts that haunts us day by day, with every scream and silent pain, with every felled trunk and extinct creature. We move towards something new, continuing to hope that we will succeed, that only good triumphs... but whose good?
 
future
with closed eyes, I run, never stopping, knowing that nothing can stand in my way anymore. I compete with myself, who will reach first? I run and reach, finally reach, to the edge of the world, leaving behind smoke, dust, and glaring sunbeams. I open my eyes.
 
The exhibition aims to draw attention to the contemporary issue of ecosystem destruction, from the micro to the macro level. Through short critical texts, sound installations, and illustrations, the exhibition highlights the intrinsic connection between humanity and the ecosystem, emphasizing that it should not function solely as a human society. It constructs a fictional narrative with an eco-apocalyptic outcome, distinct from the mythology and tradition of apocalyptic ideas that do not present a rebirth.
 
As a warning, white flags with inscriptions will flutter from an oasis belonging to a contemporary urban landscape.
 
Artists:
Alina Marinescu | Christian Răzvan Uță | Dyslex | George Roșu | Levente Kozma | Loredana Ioana Ilie | PNEA | Ștefan Tiron | V. Leac 
Curator: Mimi Ciora
Design: Flavius Augustin
This project is part of the national cultural programme "Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in the year 2023" and is funded by the City of Timișoara, through the Center for Projects.

Part of

The Cultural Program of the La Figurat Association

The Cultural Program of the La Figurat Association