The Nanaimo Art Gallery is set to debut "An Animated Assembly," a collaborative exhibition by artists Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens that explores the socio-economic consequences of resource extraction. Opening April 11, the show utilizes hand-painted murals, animations, and sculptures to critique the Global North's demand for energy transition materials, such as lithium, and the resulting impact on countries in the Global South. The works employ a satirical, "cartoonish" aesthetic to juxtapose cold, analytical data with the bold, often morally questionable rhetoric of corporate and political leaders.
This exhibition is significant for its critical examination of the "green" energy transition, highlighting the hidden human and environmental costs of sustainable technologies like hybrid cars and battery plants. Curated by Sylvie Fortin as part of her long-term research into the "currencies of hospitality," the project challenges viewers to confront how abstract economic data transforms physical landscapes and social realities. By blending research-heavy inquiry with tactile material exploration, the show positions the local gallery as a site for global discourse on ecology, economics, and extractivism.