Art historian and curator Paul Ardenne continues the Green Soul series of lectures, conceived for the Fondation, about cultures and imaginaries in the age of the Anthropocene.
From Anthropocene disaster to prodigal creation. The environmental destruction of the world and its rich aesthetic translation.
The culture of the Anthropocene is nourished by a set of perceptions of the environmental situation that find their translation in the very way we ‘represent’ and give shape to ecological reality. The result is a profusion of intellectual and artistic creation, as rich in cultural wealth as the Anthropocene is rich in destruction of all kinds. Is damaging the planet a paradox?
Paul Ardenne has a degree in History and a doctorate in Arts and Art Sciences. He is a contributor to the journals Art press, Archistorm and INTER-Art actuel, and is the author of several books: Art, l’âge contemporain (1997), L’Art dans son moment politique (2000), L’Image Corps (2001), Un Art contextuel (2002), Art, le présent (2009), Un Art écologique. Création plasticienne et anthropocène (2018), L’Art en joie. Aesthetics of joyful humanity (2023). He is also a novelist and specialist in architecture (Terre Habitée, 2005; La Bonne ville, 2019; Le Boost et le frein – Comment l’humain bâtit au 21e siècle?, 2021…).
As a curator of contemporary art, Paul Ardenne has designed numerous exhibitions, the most recent of which are “Dendromorphies. Creating with trees” (Paris, 2016), “Courants verts. Creating for the environment” (Paris, 2019) and “L’anthropocène et après” (Saint-Denis de la Réunion, 2020). He has produced several programmes on France Culture devoted to art in the age of the Anthropocene (“L’art est l’environnement“, January 2023) and is a regular contributor to the series of programmes The World in Images, on the ARTE television channel.
Program
1. Words that say it all. The “Anthropocene” and its new vocabulary: new reality and new languages. Tuesday 21 November, 2023, 6:30pm.
2. The beginnings of ecological thinking. When and how is green consciousness born? Tuesday 12 December, 2023, 6:30pm.
3. The imaginary of the end of the world. Post-apocalypse, dystopia, ecological teleology. Tuesday 23 January, 2023, 6:30pm.
4. From anthropocene disaster to prodigal creation. The environmental destruction of the world and its rich aesthetic translation. Tuesday 20 February, 2024, 6:30pm.
5. The Green Soul, a cultural commitment. The intellectual movement and the design of a new pro-Earth language. Tuesday 19 March, 2024, 6:30pm.
6. Anthropocene-art 1, visual arts. Painting, sculpture, installation, video between lament and degrowth. Tuesday 2 April, 2024, 6:30 pm.
7. Anthropocene-art 2, Ecopoetry, ecocinema, ecoBD, ecomusic, ecotheater, ecodance. Tuesday 28 May, 2024, 6:30pm.
8. Towards a Green Soul culture. A new mental, psychic and behavioral alliance. Conjuring anthropophobia and hatred of the destructive human. Tuesday 11 June, 2024, 6:30pm.
Practical information
Conference upon reservation
Duration: 1 hour followed by a discussion with the audience (French speaking)
Full Price: 12€ / Reduced Price: 5€ (students, under-26s, SMART members, jobseekers)
Pack of 5 conferences (on the dates of your choice): €45 (instead of €60)
In partnership with ESA Saint-Luc Bruxelles School, Master in Social Innovation Design.
