Photographs from around the world are capturing the dual impact of human activity on the climate and vice versa. The Cantor Arts Center’s new exhibition, “Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene,” features 44 photographic artists from six continents. The exhibition aims to offer a comprehensive view of humanity’s influence on Earth.
The term “Anthropocene” has been suggested to describe an epoch where human activity significantly affects geological changes. However, its scientific adoption is hindered by debates over its starting point—be it 1945 with nuclear power, 1610 with carbon dioxide changes, or 1964 marking the Great Acceleration.
Curators Jessica May, Marshall N Price, and Maggie Dethloff faced challenges in representing the diverse phenomena that define the Anthropocene. Dethloff conducted an informal survey on Instagram about public perception of this concept: “They essentially told me that they equated it with ‘humans ruin everything,’” she shared. Price noted another challenge was overcoming desensitization to images of environmental damage: “You get inoculated to images of trauma and devastation in ways that make it difficult to take action,” he said.
The exhibition includes striking works like Pablo López Luz’s aerial photo of Mexico City and Edward Burtynsky’s image of lithium mines in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Burtynsky’s work is described by Price as documenting “human activity on a massive scale,” encapsulating a “toxic sublime” aspect.
Gideon Mendel’s portrait from his series “Drowning World: Submerged Portraits” depicts a Thai woman standing in floodwaters. It highlights how different people face similar climate-related challenges worldwide.
Price emphasized the interconnected nature of the Anthropocene within the exhibition: “We hope a visitor might take away a greater understanding of how interrelated these dynamics are.” Dethloff added that while exploring these themes, it’s crucial not to leave audiences feeling hopeless: “Throughout there are hints and suggestions of where we can look for ways to move forward.”
Overall, Second Nature illustrates humanity’s significant role in global evolution, comparable to natural forces like glaciation and sea level change. As Price put it: “Humanity has been on the Earth for a millisecond, but we’ve had an outsized presence.”
The exhibition runs at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center until August 3rd.
