HOW CAN ART CONCEIVE OF ITSELF AS AN AGENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?

How can art conceive of itself as an agent of environmental justice? In this talk, film-maker and activist Ashish Ghadiali and curator Lucia Pietroiusti discuss their collaborative practice, which started with the development (with Amal Khalaf) of ‘Sensing the Planet’ (Dartington Trust /Serpentine Galleries, 2021) as a decolonial, alternative gathering, and continued until COP26 (Glasgow, 2021). By focusing on artworks, methodologies and conceptual frameworks, the talk outlines the principles behind Radical Ecology, a new, non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting climate justice through creative practice.

Ashish Ghadiali is a filmmaker and activist who works for racial justice and environmental justice in diverse contexts. He is Strategic Advisor on Climate Justice at the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute and co-chair of the Black Atlantic Innovation Network at UCL’s Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation.

Lucia Pietroiusti is a curator working at the intersection of art, ecology and systems, usually outside of the gallery format. Pietroiusti is the founder of the General Ecology project at Serpentine Galleries, London, where she is currently Strategic Advisor for Ecology.