Lucy + Jorge Orta: Antarctica

Jane Lombard Gallery presents Antarctica, the first exhibition in New York by internationally renowned artists, Lucy + Jorge Orta.

The exhibition is based on the Orta’s groundbreaking expedition to Antarctica in 2007. Lucy + Jorge Orta’s collaborative practice focuses on social and ecological issues, employing a diversity of media – drawing, sculpture, installation, painting, photography, video, and performance – to realize major bodies of work. Antarctica will feature works first created for the artists’ expedition to the Antarctic peninsula, addressing issues such as environmental conditions and human survival in adverse situations.

Following a commission from The End of the World Biennale (2007), the Ortas installed an ephemeral “Antarctic Village” on the continent, a “village” composed of 50 domelike sculptures constructed with flags from countries around the world. They also created and raised the first Antarctic Flag, to symbolize the unification of nations around shared common values. Antarctica embodies utopia: a continent whose extreme climate encourages mutual aid and solidarity, freedom of research, sharing, and collaboration for the good of the planet. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which now counts 53 nation states, instituted the continent as common peaceful territory.

The Madrid Protocol, ratified in 1991, has frozen mining until 2048 and banned industrial research or exploitation for fifty years. The centerpiece of the exhibition is The Antarctic World Passport Delivery Bureau, a travelling installation recently presented at the Nansen Initiative Global Consultation in Geneva and at the Grand Palais in Paris during the COP21 UN Climate Summit. Visitors to the Antarctica World Passport Delivery Bureau, an architectural assemblage made from reclaimed materials, receive a uniquely numbered Antarctica World Passport, and in exchange pledge to support the project’s principles: to take action against the disastrous effects of global warming and strive for peace. Since 2008, 55,000 passports have been printed, and visitors to Lucy + Jorge Orta’s exhibition at the Jane Lombard Gallery will be invited to register for their personalized passport edition, and to join this growing community of world citizens.