Apocalyptic Landscapes

Upstream Gallery presents Apocalyptic Landscapes: Visions of a post-apocalyptic world. An exhibition with works by Armin Boehm, Dennis Rudolph, Rob Voerman, Anne Wenzel, Michael Wutz amd Izaak Zwartjes.

Inspired by the doomsday industry that has emerged in contemporary societies these artists show us their visions on a post-apocalyptic world. The doomsday industry, consisting, in part, of political activists and journalists, specializes in warning us of potential catastrophes. Over the last few decades, it has churned out nightmare scenarios involving global warming; nuclear war; overpopulation; the growing divide between rich and poor; genetic manipulation; even world-destroying meteors hurling toward the earth and recently the fear for the LHC (large hadron collider) and the impacts of the credit crunch. Its warnings are usually intended to scare us into doing something, whether it is joining a cause or watching a news program.

The depictions of a world turned upside down are simultaneously critiques of contemporary society, disguised depictions of personal development and the mind, and retellings of ancient myths. They use all of these "realms" of meaning to create new myths about the loss of civilization and what we can do to protect it.