Climate Change, Art and Politics

Overview

What do you do when your country becomes a dictatorship and starts to sink into the ocean?

One option is art. Since 2010, former long term resident of the Maldives, Soren Dahlgaard, has been doing just that, collaborating with artists from around the world on a project called The Mobile Exodus Caravan Show. The Maldives is an extremely low-lying island nation in the Indian Ocean, and the project is about two very real problems the country faces: rising seas as a result of climate change and the brutality of the government dictatorship which has cracked down harshly on Maldivian artists in recent years. Comprising work from over 30 international artists, the show featured earlier this year at the 55th Venice Biennale.

This week Dahlgaard's in Auckland, taking part in a panel discussion with artists and scientists chaired by Radio NZ's Justin Gregory. The topic: Climate Change, Art & Politics. Joining Dahlgaard will be Maldivian artist Amani Naseem, Dr. Meg Parson of the University of Auckland’s School of Environment, and Cilla Brown, who is deep in research on the effects of climate change on some low lying islands closer to home in Samoa.

The event is free, but make sure to register first. RSVP with your name to Simran Saseve-Dale at [email protected] by Tuesday 17 June.