GAIA – Balisle Blog

San Francisco recently hosted the Global Climate Action Summit uniting local and international leaders to combat climate change. From Governor of California Jerry Brown to U.N. Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael Bloomberg, citizens are working together to find solutions. At the San Francisco Women Artists Gallery (SFWA), artists provide perspective in the GAIA – Age of Climate Change exhibit.

The San Francisco Women Artists Gallery’s statement: “SFWA is honored to have been selected to host an Affiliate Event with the Global Action Climate Summit 2018. This exhibit will feature Bay Area artists whose work reflects and celebrates the thesis that the earth (Gaia) is a living system and that human beings must become critically aware of our role in keeping Gaia healthy and safe.”

Accomplished artist and activist Kim Anno was juror for GAIA – Age of Climate Change. Anno’s website highlights her thoughtful practice: “The photography and videos wrestle with adaptation in disaster, and have occupied an arena of irony, empathy, and loss.” Ms. Anno picked my two pieces CLIMATE CHANGE (paper) and MOTHER EARTH (clear braille on polymer) for the exhibition.

CLIMATE CHANGE: A star has been officially renamed CLIMATE CHANGE in the Horologium constellation. The commemorative star date is 6/1/2017: the day President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement. A Horologium is a pendulum clock and seconds hand. Time is running out for Earth’s health.

*MOTHER EARTH*, clear braille on polymer.

MOTHER EARTH: A standard braille sign becomes repurposed by altering its function. The art serves as a marker questioning how special interests have weakened the natural environment. Citizens must not blinding follow but question, organize, and demand the highest standards preserving planet Earth.

Exhibition highlights included Kathryn Hyde’s Venti-Salted Caramel Mocha Latte (mixed media) and Amy Keeler’s Anthropocene 05 (mixed media). Both artists reclaim discarded materials showcasing the consequences and aesthetics of consumerism. According to Kathryn Hyde’s website: “Most recently, she is constructing sculpture incorporating reclaimed and decaying materials…Hyde scavenges from city streets, generous building contractors and re-use yards. She carefully pieces the object together, rather like completing a puzzle.” Overall, Hyde and Keeler decode and reorganize truth.

Kathryn Hyde, *Venti-Salted Caramel Mocha Latte*, mixed media.

Amy Keeler, *Anthropocene 05*, mixed media.

On the other hand, Dan McGarrah’s Vertigo (photo art) and Kishore’s Gaia Earth Goddess (photograph) construct and contort reality into allegorical narratives. SFWA’s website on Kishore: “…Conceptual fine-art photography is his primary interest, with typical subjects being people, streets and cityscapes.” Overlapping, McGarrah and Kishore become translators for planet Earth.

Kishore, *Gaia Earth Goddess*, photograph.

Climate action begins at home. The GAIA – Age of Climate Change is a salon of poignant and creative expressions. Each artwork mirrors the responsibility of humanity. If we don’t make a change- who will?