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One man’s trash is another man’s misfortune. There has been devastation of epic proportions in the natural world recently and nowhere is immune, which is why Olafur Eliasson’s work at the Tate Modern and his Weather Project is so timely. So is the recent exhibition at Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Trees (Nous les Arbres) where we learnt that there are 3,000 billion trees in the world, while humans make up less than 0.01 percent. The Istanbul Biennial is named The Seventh Continent after the man-made island of plastic trash and the Sharjah Architecture Triennial The Rights of Future Generations explores the urban implications of this ecological collapse. Other events like FIAC, Chicago EXPO, the Dhaka Art Summit fittingly titled Seismic Movements this year and the Helsinki Biennial in 2020 have made evident that the climate crisis is on artists’ minds globally. At home, artists are also responding at SEAF’s latest exhibition at Warehosue421 and at NYUAD Art Gallery’s Speculative Landscapes show. We hope this issue leaves readers with thoughts on our human imprint and footprint and on environmentally conscious ways of being in the world.

 

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Founded by Ali Y. Khadra in 2003, Canvas is the premier contemporary art magazine in the Middle East. It serves as the primary platform for artists in the region and has been a catalyst for the growth and prosperity of the local art scene on the international stage. Based in Dubai, Canvas sets the benchmark for high-quality in-depth features and is at the forefront of art education and cultural conversations with contributions from leading figures in the art world. In December 2022, Canvas BilArabia was launched as a bi-yearly publication in Arabic with fresh content covering the fast and extensive cultural growth across Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the rest of the GCC and MEA region.