Eighteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Current paradigms of the Anthropocene show somewhat problematic and dead-end approaches to 21st-century climate challenges. Given that the discourse places humans as the dominant influence on the planet, it often relies on masculinist and human-centered approaches in the relationship with the environment. Acknowledging the complexity of the Anthropocene discourse, scholarly and artistic movements have tried to build an alternative approach that is more inclusive, sustainable, and non-human-centric. Among others, Bernard Stiegler suggests the Neganthropocene—a discourse for the conversion of our collective gaze that brings forth the shared affect and the sense of care in the face of the Anthropocene. It is an act of will, desire, and dream building of revolutionary solutions inside the system. In particular, the Neganthropocene speaks to art practices that enable us to escape from the impasse of the Anthropocene by finding the courage to care, confront, and rebuild by working both from and within the system. In this paper, I explore the Neganghropocene efforts taken by Chinese emerging artists by analyzing them from three different but interrelated angles: 1) creatively manifesting the triad symbiotic relationship to bring a balanced understanding between humans and nature; 2) allowing nature to take agency in art productions replacing the human as the central actor in art experiences; 3) materializing natural forces without human intervention with technological mediation. In doing so, we understand the social responsibility of art that attempts to build a collective sensibility to transform our future by making the adoption of an imagined but possible future.