Extracting Us: online exhibition and conversation on the feminist political ecologies of extractivism.

The online exhibition and conversation brings together creative contributions working on different experiences of extractivism around the world, and responses to the contributions from artist and activists, such as the Women and Mining Network in Asia (WAMA) network. Viewers will also be invited to contribute responses, either directly to the artists or to be added to the ongoing conversation. The contributions from artists-activists-scholars includes work from extractivist contexts in Indonesia, Ireland, France, UK, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Brazil, Ecuador, Trinidad, Senegal, Zambia and Tajikistan.

(Video: Written by Dr Negar Elodie Behzadi | Animation Design: Kate Jessop | Sound: Nicholas O’Brien, Upcycled Sounds)

Through a unifying curatorial approach, the exhibition and conversation aim to disrupt common spectacular aesthetics and ‘north-south’ narratives on extractivism, enable the viewer to see and hear perspectives from those most affected, and develop actions of solidarity and resistance across countries and continents. The exhibition will challenge the viewer to make (sometimes unexpected) connections between the cases and themes explored, including how extractivism affects both people and the environment, humans and non-humans.

The Extracting Us exhibition and conversation series is being co-curated by Siti Maimunah, Elona Hoover, Alice Owen, Dian Ekowati and Becky Elmhirst with critical insight and support from Lydia Heath, Persephone Pearl and Louise Purbrick.

This project is made possible by support from ONCA Gallery, the Centre of Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics at the University of Brighton, the Wellbeing, Ecology, Gender and cOmmunity research network funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 764908), and collaboration with the ‘Sustainable’ Development and Atmospheres of Violence: Experiences of Environmental Defenders project funded by The British Academy.

Content Warning: Death, Violence.

Enter Exhibition

Events

Events that accompany the exhibition and conversation include:

• 13th August, 2pm (BST) – Curators’ Tour.
• 24th September, 2.45pm (BST) – Webinar weaving together the contributions and to look forward to the future of this evolving exhibition. This will be hosted in conjunction with the international Political Ecology Network (POLLEN20) virtual conference.

Exhibiting Artists

• Denilson Baniwa
• Negar Behzadi
• Luce Choules
• V’cenza Cirefice
• Maica Gugolati
• Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá
• Ru-Yu (Iris) Lin
• Siti Maimunah and Abdalalah Naem
• Pedro Neto
• Marilene Ribeiro & Participants
• Margherita Scazza
• Sandro Simon
• TAPESTRY project

Image Credit: Negar Elodie Behzadi. Still from the short animation film: Nadirah. 2019. Design: Kate Jessop.