Week 4：Summerhall Exhibition Series: ‘CATALYST: Art as Activism’ – A Viewing Record
Exhibition Viewing—CATALYST: Art as Activism
📍Gallery: Summer Hall
The works mainly present relevant social, political, and ecological issues to the audience through related artworks and spatial designs, rather than merely expressing emotions. Summer Hall places works by different artists on different themes in separate exhibition halls, each with its own unique spatial and lighting designs. The layout of each space is tailored to the theme, aligning with the emotions expressed by the different works. Some exhibition halls require quiet contemplation, while others demand a circular viewing route, incorporating the movement of the audience as part of the narrative, as if leading them into the stories behind the artists’ creations.
Thematic Keywords:
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Ecological Crisis and the Status of Non-Human Life
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The Emotional Topography of Migration and Exile
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Material Destruction within Capitalist Structures
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Body Politics, Gender and the Reconstruction of Identity
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Future Visions and Collective Responsibility
The concept that the entire exhibition revolves around is that contemporary art not only represents reality but also serves as a force to intervene and change it. It emphasizes art as a sustainable social practice that enables us to question and think critically.
1️⃣ All Day, Waiting for Another Sun to Rise
Corner Gallery — Molly Wickett
Centred upon a post-apocalyptic world, the exhibition reconstructs possibilities of loss and continuity through plastic and materials. Fallen trees and fungi upon dead wood conjure a dystopian future. These sculptures are not mere symbols of vanished objects, but rather transform the forest’s life cycle into a language of hope. Entering the gallery space is not a linear progression; visitors navigate between the sculptures, becoming immersed in the works themselves.
2️⃣ A Heart in Exile
Lab Gallery — Taraneh Dana
Through the artist’s personal experiences, the exhibition explores how displacement accumulates across emotional, memory and physical dimensions. This gallery serves as a quiet display space, with works spaced apart and arranged methodically, allowing visitors to linger and reflect.
3️⃣ Net Worthy
Sciennes Gallery — Eilidh Appletree
The work constructs a submerged underwater world, where materials such as steel mesh, metal components, sand, hair, and petals illustrate how capitalism endangers life on Earth, leading to species extinction and ecological collapse. It also emphasises the intertwined destinies of humans and non-human animals. Viewers can experience the visual tension evoked by the piece through an immersive, all-round viewing experience.
4️⃣ Any Body Home
War Memorial Gallery — Kasia Oleskiewicz
The works explore human and non-human communities, transcending boundaries of gender, species, and nationality to imagine an inclusive world of coexistence. Through an open layout and interactive elements, the exhibition space guides visitors to engage with and reflect upon their relationships with others.
Exhibition Insights:
1. The exhibited works do not aim to provide viewers with definitive answers, but rather to stimulate reflection and personal interpretation through spatial arrangement and artistic materials.
2. Each gallery’s spatial layout serves the thematic intent of its works. Some spaces invite viewers to remain and meditate, while others employ non-linear, irregular configurations that encourage visitors to move around the exhibits, treating their movement as an integral part of the narrative.
