Motivated by recent climatic events and ongoing concerns over the global state of the environment, Molinari presents a collection of new works which explore narratives of ecological fragility and loss in the time of the Anthropocene. Through the genre of still life, these works aim to extrapolate on concepts of human relationships with nature conveyed through the connection between objects.
Anthropocene Exhibition essay by Kate McAuley
On July 11 2023, a group of esteemed environmental scientists moved one step closer to declaring the end of the geological Holocene epoch and the beginning of the Anthropocene, demarcating the boundary between 11,700 years of relative stability and the start of the era when us humans irrevocably changed our planet, beginning with hydrogen bomb tests in the 1950s. The news coincided with predictions that July 2023 will be the hottest in Earth’s history.
Our collective hyper-consumerism, addiction to the burning of fossil fuels and our inability and/or unwillingness to reverse the process of our impact on our planet has not been lost on Michelle Molinari. The artist has long been inspired by the natural world. With a renowned eye towards the fragility and preservation of life, even after death, she continues to explore what it means exist on our planet.
For this exhibition, however, Molinari has expanded her gaze to reference our human impact. As such, her subjects, a result of her own much lauded taxidermic practice and the molding of fragile animal skulls, are represented in a broader human context, delving into the global narrative and the pressing concerns of our time.
As viewers we’re asked to bear witness to our own folly. In addition to the Pandemic, in recent years our world has seen some of the worst natural disasters in history, from catastrophic bushfires to sporadic though devastating flooding, both of which have resulted in death, displacement and disillusionment. These facts are perhaps best portrayed here in the works ‘Untitled’ and ‘Subject to the new state of normal.’ In the former, common street signs alert us of danger and flammable substances, depicted besides a postcard featuring a flock of black birds fleeing bushland ravaged by flames. In the latter, flood waters obscure a common road sign while in the foreground the inevitably of what continues to occur stands paramount. Both works are warnings of the dangers ahead if we don’t take action.
The broader ramifications of our warming earth also take centre stage in this exhibition. The surreal and compelling ‘Global Impact,’ with its blue ‘ocean’ alarmingly melting off our world speaks of a planet in crisis. Elsewhere, in ‘The Canary,’ the vulnerability of the natural world is juxtaposed against an austere and imposing nuclear power plant, despite its scale. There is an historical through line in these works - both represent the necessity of the human spirit to understand and control our world while using it for our own gain.
In essence, Molinari’s motivation for this work is deeply rooted in her concern for the environment and the urgent need for change. As such, ‘Anthropocene’ is Molinari’s thoughtful call to action, urging us to reevaluate our relationship with nature. Through her art, she confronts the challenges we face with deft skill and profound beauty, while simultaneously imploring us to be part of the solution.Artist Statement: The Anthropocene, a geological epoch in which the human impact on the earths ecosystems is acknowledged as an undeniable and defining force. Revealing a fundamental shift in the relationship between humanity and nature, this present era is characterised by the ways in which humans have adversely shaped the earths landscape, ecosystems, and climate. The anthropogenic legacy of pollution, fossil fuel consumption and the commodification of natural resources are among the main contributors of our current global disposition. Living in the time of climate change and global warming, we are witness to its repercussions; rising temperatures, extreme weather events, the loss of biodiversity and extinction have become common occurrences in the twenty-first century.
Motivated by recent climatic events and ongoing concerns over the global state of the environment, this exhibition presents a collection of new works which explore narratives of ecological fragility in the time of the Anthropocene. Through the genre of still life, these works aim to extrapolate on concepts relating to the human impact on nature and its relationship, conveyed through objects, images and compositional arrangements. As Giovanni Aloi states “In the Anthropocene, over-consumption (of resources) is underpinned by a deep and general sense of disconnect with nature, which is compensated only representationally by the emergence of catastrophic visions of rising temperatures and sea levels.”1 This notion lays at the core of this exhibition where the image acts as an indicator for reflection and introspective thought. The images of fire, flood, emissions, and waste, are presented as literal images within the painting, referencing the trompe l’oeil. Like that of the memento mori, a symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death; these works are arranged to generate conversation and acknowledgement surrounding human complicity, but also as symbolic reminders of past action and the inevitability of consequences. The repercussions of both human action and inaction are ostensible by the rapid rate of species extinction observed within Australia. In February 2022, it was announced that the Koala was to be listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The concept of familiar Australian species under threat was a main reference point for works presented in this exhibition. Compounded by the scale of native animal loss following the 2020 bushfires; the depiction of animal skulls, is both an acknowledgement of past and future loss. A precipice now looms for the future of endemic populations survival in the face of climatic instability.
1. Aloi, G. 2018, Speculative Taxidermy: Natural History, Animal Surfaces, and Art in the Anthropocene, p.27, Columbia University Press, New York
ARTIST BIO: A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts Michelle Molinari joined the FLG stable in 2013 after winning the FLG Emerging artist Award. She has been a finalist in the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (2019, 2018, 2016), the Fisher's Ghost Art Award (2018) and the AME Bale Travelling Scholarship (2016). In 2017 her work was curated into the Art Gallery of Ballarat's group exhibition Romancing the Skull which explored themes of mortality, politics and rebellion. In the same year her work was included in Close Encounters a group exhibition at Gippsland Art Gallery. Molinari has been the recipient of the Graeme Hildebrant Foundation Travel Grant (2014) which allowed her to undertake residencies in both New York (USA) and in Florence (Italy), the Fiona Myer Award (2012) and the Majlis Encouragement Award (2012). Her work is held in the Gippsland Art Gallery Collection, The Stirling Collective and The Art Students League of New York, USA.
