The Brooklyn non-profit space Pioneer Works is hosting an exhibition titled "How to Get to Zero" by artists Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne, featuring climate-themed interactive works. The centerpiece, "Cold Call" (2023), invites visitors to call fossil fuel executives using a script designed to keep them on the line and waste their time. Other works include "Offset" (2023-25), a satirical carbon offset marketplace where visitors can purchase credits for dissident acts like deflating SUV tires, and "Perfect Sleep" (2021), which encourages rest as a form of anti-productivity climate activism. The exhibition blends humor with serious critique of net-zero pledges and carbon markets.
This exhibition matters because it challenges the assumption that art lacks real-world power, instead creating works that actively intervene in climate politics. By using absurdity and direct action, Brain and Lavigne invite audiences into complex conversations about carbon offsetting, corporate accountability, and the limits of individual action. The show reflects a growing trend of artists using participatory, activist strategies to address the climate crisis, pushing the boundaries of what art can achieve beyond gallery walls.