Free
Alessandro Mallamaci, Un Luogo Bello
Alicia Bruce, I Burn But I Am Not Consumed
AJR MOXON, Materiality of Light
Mary Farmilant, Grandma in the Trees
Md Fazla Rabbi Fatiq, Dark Garden
Wei Weng, Water Refuge
Yzza Slaoui, Sincerely Tendrara
[Re]Source
Artists: AJR Moxon (UK), Md Fazla Rabbi Fatiq (Bangladesh), Alicia Bruce (UK), Wei Weng (China/Australia), Mary Farmilant (US), Alessandro Mallamaci (Italy), Yzza Slaoui (Morrocco).
Curated By: FORMAT International Photography Festival – Niamh Treacy (FORMAT Curator & Coordinator)
Inspired by the core theme of Lishui International Photo Festival 2023 the FORMAT exhibition titled [Re]Source explores, through the work of seven artists, the ways in which we are connected to and affected by our most vital resource – the natural land around us. The works presented explore the myriad of ways in which human existence effects the land in sometimes devastating ways and how in contrast we are shaped by the energy and natural push and pull of nature’s core elements.
The artists exhibited traverse issues of land destruction through the impacts of climate change or the power and greed of man; how the juxtaposition of beauty and the harsh reality of land impacts on peoples’ livelihoods; the spiritual impact and bond that our land can create to how light connects us and the land directly to the past through space.
The land we reside on is a vital resource and lifeline to humans existence – one that in many areas of the world is worshiped and nurtured for its lifegiving and medicinal properties. However, humans existence is causing detrimental effects to our only lifeline and this is being felt more in some communities than others. Our ever-expanding population is creating a constant need for the expansion of our Metropolitain areas, yet governments are trying to maintain a balance between expansion and the protection or re-introduction of wild spaces to slow the effects of climate change and maintain a habitable environment. It is easier to hide from climate change in our built-up towns and cities where resources such as food and water are in most cases, more plentiful, however in areas of the world where communities and livestock rely on the nutrients of the land, existence is becoming somewhat impossible. Water is drying up and with it the nutrients that feed the land, pushing people further and further away from their homelands in search of vital resources. At the expense of humanities greed and constant search for power our world and the people that call it home are suffering. It is vital to our continued existence that we find a way back to a harmonious existence with the land; a celebration of its power and strength. The work in this exhibition takes you on a journey through humanity and lands shared turmoil. However, in presenting this journey we hope to give space for the consideration of humans impact and where we can and should do better.
FORMAT International Photography Festival is organised by QUAD and supported by Arts Council England and the Creative and Cultural Industries Research Centre at the University of Derby.
