Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

This paper examines how art can promote sustainable practices for climate change. Haeyoen Hwang’s artworks feature melting glaciers, which are significant contributors to climate change. Going beyond mere abstraction, these works capture the intensity of melting glaciers, reflecting Gilles Deleuze’s concept of the figural. Hwang brings a temporal perspective to the paintings, weaving past, present, and future into a singular narrative. This approach, inspired by Deleuze’s time theory, suggests that the present coexists with and is divided by past and future. The work, Born as a Glacier and Fell Asleep as a Star, uses a star to signify glaciers’ history as pure past. Evening Primrose shows glaciers nourishing flowers that thrive at night, depicted in hues that blend with the background, hinting at a future filled with potential. The artworks encourage a remembrance of the future, challenging the typical association of memory with the past. The series includes Don’t Cry, Don’t Melt, Become a Glacier and The Glacier’s Determination, urging a recollection of a future where glaciers form anew. Nietzsche’s idea that memories, fueled by willpower, shape our future actions, underpins this series. The paintings do not just recall past decisions but emphasize the imperative to act on future commitments. Hwang’s art echoes Deleuze’s idea of “becoming a people to come,” a notion of communal potentiality. The hope is these paintings motivate a proactive stance on climate issues. In essence, by representing a sensible temporality, Hwang’s art envisions sustainability as an active force in shaping what is yet to come.