Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5
Oli SorensonPanama2021
2021
$1,300
£972.98
€1,126.65
CA$1,806.79
A$2,035.05
CHF 1,053.88
MX$24,714.92
NOK 13,386.73
SEK 12,698.44
DKK 8,406.36
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
Building on a series of exhibitions titled Panorama of the Anthropocene which examined the ecological impact of human activity through an array of paintings, digital prints and videos, Oli Sorenson’s Capitalocene? turns to the economic system that underlies this era. Where Anthropocene names a geological epoch defined by human activity, Capitalocene disputes the former term’s homogenization of humanity within a single category, refuting its equal attribution of responsibility for the impacts of an economic system predicated on unequal distribution of power. Capitalocene? ponders instead on a much smaller subset of humanity: the so-called 1%, whose choices and lifestyles drive anthropogenic climate change and who are nonetheless largely sheltered from its impacts. Avoiding didacticism in favour of critical engagement, Sorenson’s framing of the term as a question invites viewers to reflect on responsibility and complicity for themselves, and to find answers in their own terms.
A digital Pop aesthetic permeates the exhibition, which features works on paper and canvas, video, and online NFTs. Neon-toned graphics evoke informational and material excess in the form of abstracted cargo ships on waterways and repeating icons of automobiles, fuel containers, shopping bags, and vaccine vials. Collectively, these images suggest the immensity of global supply chains by referencing processes of mass production, transportation, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Sorenson creatively borrows from Pop and Neo-Geometric Conceptualism, making tactical use of repetition and geometric abstraction to describe the monumental scale and impact of human economic activity under capitalism. Relentlessly bright tones echo the advertising screens of consumerist visual culture: the desire to catch and hold the eye, the failed promise of infinite material prosperity..
What at first appears as a contradiction – the inclusion of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in an ecocritical exhibition – serves to open up another realm for consideration: the art world’s complicity in global capital. Conscious of the massive energy footprint of conventional NFTs, Sorenson opts to use cleanNFTs which consume an infinite fraction of energy, in comparison to those based on dominant crypto-currencies. This deliberate gesture underscores that viable alternatives are available today, in NFTs as in other economic sectors. Yet as these approaches involve less money per transaction and fewer intermediaries, Sorenson notes, ecological solutions are sidelined in the interest of profit.
Capitalocene? does not explicitly name a culprit of climate change. The exhibition does, however, convincingly illustrate how the dominant economic system of capitalism prescribes an array of human activities whose ubiquity and sustained repetition, carried out in plain sight and sanctioned by those in power, shapes life on a planetary scale to dire ends.
- Creator:Oli Sorenson
- Creation Year:2021
- Dimensions:Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Montreal, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4769624832
Oli Sorenson’s remix art was first recognised in London, after taking part in numerous media art events at the Institute of Contemporary Art (2003-06), Tate Britain (2006), and the British Film Institute (2008-10). He also gradually established an international profile when performing at ZKM (Karlsruhe, 2002), ISEA (Helsinki, 2004), Mapping (Geneva, 2009) and Sonica Festivals (Ljubljana, 2012). After moving to Montreal in 2010, Sorenson redirected his work towards gallery based projects, and since exhibited at The Power Plant (Toronto, 2014), FILE (Sao Paulo, 2015), Monitoring (Kassel, 2017) and Art Mûr (Berlin, 2018). Sorenson consistently disrupts institutional expectations of the visual artist as a producer of proprietary images. His work exposes the contradictions between limited copyright and massively reproducible media but also asks timely questions about singular authorship in an age of overabundant networked content. Under such conditions, the making of a contemporary work of art involves more distributed processes than isolated generative acts from original authors. Beyond market pressures to produce new and exclusive art objects, lies a material culture of exchange and emulation embraced by networked societies. Sorenson aims to unsettle this prevalence of art created from scratch by promoting gestures of citation and appropriation. When he copies, transforms and combines existing works by established artists, such cultural materials are re-used and recycled not in spite of their propertied ties to private estates but rather by virtue of their belonging to a specific heritage, community and/or collective memory.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 1996
1stDibs seller since 2014
104 sales on 1stDibs
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Montreal, Canada
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllSuez
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Building on a series of exhibitions titled Panorama of the Anthropocene which examined the ecological impact of human activity through an array of paintings, digital prints and video...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Varnish
$1,300
Crédit
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Building on a series of exhibitions titled Panorama of the Anthropocene which examined the ecological impact of human activity through an array of paintings, digital prints and video...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Enamel
$3,500
Refugees
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Oli Sorenson’s solo exhibition, «Après moi, le déluge » discloses a series of impactful works on the deadly perils of capitalism through a group of paintings, prints, watercolours, a...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Resin, Wood Panel
CPU
Located in Montreal, Quebec
For the exhibition Panorama of the Anthropocene, Oli Sorenson presents an array of works created in a hybrid style that evokes the square layout of Instagram, the pixelated landscape...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,400
Delivery / Livraison
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Building on a series of exhibitions titled Panorama of the Anthropocene which examined the ecological impact of human activity through an array of paintings, digital prints and video...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Varnish
Mine
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Building on a series of exhibitions titled Panorama of the Anthropocene which examined the ecological impact of human activity through an array of paintings, digital prints and video...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
$6,000
You May Also Like
Tacubaya 3
By Javier Hinojosa
Located in Mexico City, MX
These series of paintings are the result of Javier Hinojosa's ongoing research around Modern Architecture in Mexico. Specifically the Tacubaya series are sketches drawn from memory o...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Enamel
Tacubaya 4
By Javier Hinojosa
Located in Mexico City, MX
These series of paintings are the result of Javier Hinojosa's ongoing research around Modern Architecture in Mexico. Specifically the Tacubaya series are sketches drawn from memory o...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Enamel
Untitled
By Jose Rosabal
Located in Miami, FL
José Ángel Rosabal Fajardo', was born in Manzanillo, Oriente, Cuba, in August, 1935. He works in painting, drawing, engraving and even table design. He was part of the group Diez Pin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
$35,000
YOU'LL SEE ME
Located in Saint Louis, MO
A love of locality shapes how painter Sam Melendez constructs his paintings. Referencing the iconic Amoco sign of his adopted home in St. Louis, while painting with the gritty, vinta...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Oil, Acrylic
Untitled
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Paul Cowan
Untitled, 2015, cast Chroma-Key blue paint and latex paint on canvas
Chroma-Key blue paint and latex paint on canvas
48 x 36 inches (121.9 x 91.4 cm)
Category
2010s Contemporary Interior Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Latex
Price Upon Request
Untitled
By Jose Rosabal
Located in Miami, FL
José Ángel Rosabal Fajardo', was born in Manzanillo, Oriente, Cuba, in August, 1935. He works in painting, drawing, engraving and even table design. He was part of the group Diez Pin...
Category
20th Century Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic