>Ian Dawson

>Group Exhibition: We Are Nature Exhibition at the The Garden of Tomorrow Festival, House of Hackney London,  with The Great Imagining,14th-16th June 2024

Nature the Artist is an exhibition and emerging gallery of creative responses to the challenges highlighted by The Great Imagining.

The artworks are curated to explore the multiple global predicaments which affect collective action responses to the Climate Crisis. 
Established over 15 years ago The Great Imagining inspires communities to take action towards a Greener, Fairer, Wiser future.

The Garden of Tomorrow Festival brings together a collective of positive disruptors, activists, artists and organisations in order to explore a future where humans are a part of Nature, not apart from it. The WE ARE NATURE exhibition proposes that it is time to write a new story that includes us in the continuum of the planet we call home. Moving from a worldview of domination and exploitation to one that honours our place in the ecosystem. 

Inspired by the recent #WeAreNature campaign, which petitions for a change to the definition of ‘nature’, the exhibition aims to co-create a vision for a Nature-centric society which benefits all. The exhibition includes panels and workshops to be held against a backdrop of art, spoken word and music, so that creativity can advocate for change. This is a not-for-profit event.

Dawson is exhibiting a portrait of Sharon Tailfeathers made in collaboration with Deserae Tailfeathers. The Tailfeathers are part of the Blackfoot Nations of Siksika in Canada. Blackfoot, like many indigenous peoples have a deep connection to the land and ecosystems that are central to their cultures, languages, and livelihoods. This sculpture is seeking to bring attention to how the effects of colonialism cannot be discounted from any discussion about the climate crisis. As Blackfoot Knowledge Keeper and scholar Leroy Little Bear says: “We're not talking about either Western science or native science. What we're talking about is a marriage of the two, because that'll bring about enrichment. That's what we refer to as a holistic approach.” 

Participating artists include: Ackroyd & Harvey, Abigail Lane, Adam Dant, Melanie Manchot, Marie-Louse Jones, Gavin Turk, James Hewins, Gordon Cheung. Cedric Christie

>Group Exhibition: We Are Nature Exhibition at the The Garden of Tomorrow Festival, House of Hackney London,  with The Great Imagining,14th-16th June 2024