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NOVEMBER 7 – DECEMBER 2
ZEYNEP BANU ALEV
&
CLAUDIA ZIMMERMAN
Resident artist, Zeynep Banu Alev and guest artist, Claudia Zimmerman examine the interaction of humans with nature. Zeynep explores this concept as she plays with sticks, leaves and seeds gathered over the years to create this body of work. Claudia uses allegory in her oil paintings to reveal hidden messages about human nature. For Zeynep and Claudia, it is a matter of trying to hear, trying to listen and taking note when nature reveals her stories.
The idea that we have changed the planet so dramatically isn’t new, but it has entered a new, distinctive phase in its history. The Anthropocene is a term that is increasingly used to define a new planetary era, one in which humans have become the dominant force shaping Earth’s bio-geophysical composition and processes. This tiny segment of Earth’s timeline signifies a period where human activity has considerably altered the planet’s climate and ecosystems, caused mass extinctions of plant and animal species, among other lasting impacts starting around the Agricultural Revolution, ramping up with the Industrial Revolution and the current state of climate impact. “Although there have been mass extinction events in Earth’s history, until now, they have all been triggered by natural causes. This is the first time a single species has caused such destructive effects on the natural world and had an awareness of doing so. To quote Joni Mitchell…”Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”
