The Vancouver Art Gallery has opened "Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change," an exhibition curated by Eva Respini, the gallery's interim co-CEO and curator at large. Featuring over 30 artists and 35 works—including sculptures, paintings, video installations, and photographs—the show explores climate change through themes of living knowledge, consumed earth, speculative worlds, and material memory. Highlights include Brian Jungen's whale-skeleton sculpture made from plastic chairs and Clarissa Tossin's multimedia weaving of Amazon boxes. The exhibition also incorporates sustainability in its organization, using recycled cardboard for labels, overland shipping for loans, and commissioning local artists.
The exhibition matters because it positions art as a vital tool for understanding and engaging with the climate crisis, offering a space for questioning rather than providing definitive answers. By collaborating with the University of British Columbia's Climate Action Lab and Canada's National Observer, the gallery bridges art and science, demonstrating how museums can foster respectful, open dialogue on urgent global issues. The show's sustainable practices also set a precedent for environmentally conscious curation in the art world.