In our Main Gallery from February 7th until March 21st, the Alternator is excited to display Tara Nicholson’s exhibition, 'Mammoths, EcoZombies and Permafrost Extinction.’
This exhibition endeavours to depict a polar ecosystem warming at a rate of 3-7 times faster than other landmasses. From this perspective, the Arctic can be seen as a microcosm of climate breakdown, where the accelerating effects of climate breakdown are already visible within its human and nonhuman animal ways of life. Arctic amplification or a quickened state of warming, will produce increases in extreme weather, altering animal migration and causing widespread habitat loss. Reflecting on permafrost, extinction and “eco-zombies,” the term attached to climate techno-fixes like (de)extinction and geoengineering, this exhibition looks to re-characterize “frozen life” as something increasingly valuable. Examining the fleeting nature of the Arctic, Nicholson questions the unseen realities of climate collapse to envision a post-anthropocentric representation of the Arctic.
The final exhibition will feature framed photographs, lightboxes, and ceramic tusk installations.
On February 7th from 6-8pm join us in an opening reception featuring light snacks and refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.
Tara Nicholson is an artist who explores ecological activism through a more-than-human lens. Her photo-based and installation practice has investigated Arctic extinction and permafrost research for the past ten years. She has exhibited and attended residencies across Canada and internationally while receiving funding from the BC Arts Council and Canada Council. She was invited to ‘Earthed,’ an eco-art residency (Banff Centre) and her recent exhibitions include “Wicked Problems” (Queens Gallery, UK), “This Image That” (Victoria Arts Council), “Site, Surface, Sample” (Gallery 44, Toronto) and “Fieldwork” (Lake Country Gallery). Tara is a Continuing Lecturer at UVic and is completing an interdisciplinary PhD at UBC, Okanagan.