How does art make the world?

Ancient Chinese correlative cosmology teaches that the movement of the universe follows the ceaseless rhythm and transformation of the five elemental phases and yin and yang energies. Water, wood, fire, metal, and earth merge and meld into each other through fluid patters that are both generative and damaging.

Art has a place within this ecology. It is inside it, rather than out. Not merely a reflection, art is part of the cycle of transformation. But how does art make the world? It is our hope that the works of art in this exhibition—each connected with a particular elemental phase—will move you, make you think, touch your memory and imagination, and, in doing so, encourage you to gain fresh perspectives on ecological crises across the planet and possibilities for environmental justice.