Sim Chi Yin, Shifting Sands #1, 2017. Archival pigment on paper, 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm). Courtesy of the artist. 漏 Sim Chi Yin. 2 / 2 125%
Sim Chi Yin, Shifting Sands #1, 2017. Archival pigment on paper, 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm). Courtesy of
the artist. 漏 Sim Chi Yin.

Picturing the Anthropocene

New Nasher Museum exhibit presents photography of our changing environment

Picturing the Anthropocene

New Nasher Museum exhibit presents photography of our changing environment

The term Anthropocene, which is gaining wider acceptance among geologists and earth scientists, is a complex process with a straight-forward meaning: Human activity is changing the global environment to such an extent that it has created a new geologic era.

It鈥檚 a term that is best understood visually through the changing landscapes of the Earth. A new exhibition at the Nasher Museum of Art highlights the efforts of artists from around the world to do just that.

which begins Thursday, Aug. 29, is the first major exhibition to examine the Anthropocene through the lens of contemporary photography. Comprised of 45 photo-based artists working in a variety of artistic methods from studios and sites across the globe, 鈥淪econd Nature鈥 explores the complexities of this proposed new age.

The artists offer compelling visual imagery necessary for picturing the Anthropocene: aerial views of beautiful but toxic sites, collages that incorporate archival photographs to counter colonial narratives, depictions of urbanism on an unimaginable scale, and imagined yet precarious futures. In doing so, they address urgent issues such as vanishing ice, rising waters, and increasing resource extraction, as well as the deeply rooted and painful legacies of colonialism, forced climate migration, and socio-environmental trauma.

Edward Burtynsky, Lithium Mines #1, Salt Flats, Atacama Desert, Chile, 2017. Pigment inkjet print on Kodak Professional Photo Paper, 48 x 64 inches (121.9 x 162.6 cm). Courtesy of Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis / Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. 漏 Edward Burtynsky.
Inka and Niclas Linderg氓rd, Adaptive Colorations I, 2016. UV print on wood, pigment, wood, stone, plaster, spray paint, and clear coat; 42 15/16 x 55 1/8 x 37 inches (109 x 140 x 94 cm). Courtesy of the artists and Doroth茅e Nilsson Gallery, Berlin. 漏 Inka & Niclas Linderg氓rd. Photo by Inka & Niclas Linderg氓rd.
Pictures of a changing world. Above: Edward Burtynsky, Lithium Mines #1, Salt Flats, Atacama Desert, Chile, 2017. Courtesy of Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis / Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto. 漏 Edward Burtynsky.
Bottom: Inka and Niclas Linderg氓rd, Adaptive Colorations I, 2016. Courtesy of the artists and Doroth茅e Nilsson Gallery, Berlin. 漏 Inka & Niclas Linderg氓rd.
Right: Gideon Mendel, Anchalee Koyama, Taweewattana District, Bangkok, Thailand, November 2011 from the series Drowning World: Submerged Portraits, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Axis Gallery, New York & New Jersey. 漏 Gideon Mendel.
Gideon Mendel, Anchalee Koyama, Taweewattana District, Bangkok, Thailand, November 2011 from the series Drowning World: Submerged Portraits, 2011. Laser print on fabric, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Axis Gallery, New York & New Jersey. 漏 Gideon Mendel.

Trevor Schoonmaker, Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans Director of the Nasher Museum, says the exhibit, and the accompanying book, 鈥渙ffers a sweeping exploration of the vast and mismatched time scales of photography, climate change and 'deep time' of geologic history. Looking is hard; not looking will end up being harder.鈥

The photographs depict the effects of climate change around the world. The exhibit will be on display at the Nasher Museum through January 5. 

Admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.

Collaboration with Duke Forest

The exhibit also highlights the Nasher Museum鈥檚 work with climate scientists across the university and its involvement in Duke鈥檚 Climate Commitment. As part of the exhibit, the museum is collaborating with Duke Forest on a series of tours of the Nasher exhibit combined with a visit to the forest to connect the art to local environmental history. The tours are on Sept. 21 and Oct. 6.

The Sept. 21 event is a two-part guided educational experience for attendees, starting at the exhibit hearing about the Anthropocene from Nasher staff, then ending in the Duke Forest learning from forest staff about the effects of the Anthropocene on our local environment.

The Oct. 5 event is similar but only includes the educational experience in Duke Forest. Participants will be then encouraged to visit the Nasher Museum exhibit on their own time.

Space is limited; the first 10 slots for each tour will be first-come, first-served, and the remaining slots will be filled from a waitlist. For more information, see the

Gohar Dashti, Untitled #2 from the series Home, 2017. Archival digital pigment print, artist鈥檚 proof 1/2, 31 3/8 x 47 3/16 inches (80 x 120 cm). Courtesy of the artist. 漏 Gohar Dashti.
Gohar Dashti, Untitled #2 from the series Home, 2017. Courtesy of the artist. 漏 Gohar Dashti.
Anastasia Samoylova, Pink Sidewalk from the series FloodZone, 2017. Pigment print on paper, artist鈥檚 proof 1; 40 x 32 inches (101.6 x 81.3 cm). Courtesy of the artist. 漏 Anastasia Samoylova.
Anastasia Samoylova, Pink Sidewalk from the series FloodZone, 2017. Pigment print on paper, artist鈥檚 proof 1; 40 x 32 inches (101.6 x 81.3 cm). Courtesy of the artist. 漏 Anastasia Samoylova.
Pablo L贸pez Luz, Vista A茅rea de la Ciudad de M茅xico, XIII (Aerial View of Mexico City, XIII) from the series Terrazo, 2006. Courtesy of the artist and Arr贸niz Gallery, Mexico City. 漏 Pablo L贸pez Luz.
Pablo L贸pez Luz, Vista A茅rea de la Ciudad de M茅xico, XIII (Aerial View of Mexico City, XIII) from the series Terrazo, 2006. Courtesy of the artist and Arr贸niz Gallery, Mexico City. 漏 Pablo L贸pez Luz.
David Benjamin Sherry, Valley of the Gods II, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Mor谩n Mor谩n. 漏 David Benjamin Sherry.
David Benjamin Sherry, Valley of the Gods II, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Mor谩n Mor谩n. 漏 David Benjamin Sherry.