Between 2007 and 2011, twelve leading artists visited the
Galápagos Islands as part of the Gulbenkian Galápagos Artists'
Residency Programme. Each artist was given free rein to connect
with the Islands in the way most appropriate to their individual
curiosity and distinct practice, whether to observe the strange
wildlife, spend time with scientists at the Charles Darwin
Foundation, take a tourist boat trip or engage with local
communities. They found plenty of material to inspire new work -
providing insights into the complex social and environmental
challenges that impinge on the archipelago's fragile ecosystem.
Their resulting artworks also prompt comparisons with other places
in the world that are beset by multiple demands.
Artists Jyll Bradley, Paulo Catrica, Filipa César, Marcus Coates, Dorothy Cross (with actor Fiona
Shaw), Alexis Deacon, Jeremy Deller, Tania
Kovats, Kaffe Matthews, Semiconductor and Alison Turnbull spent time on Galápagos
- diving with sharks or studying butterflies, working with
botanists to develop gardens with local people, or canvassing, from
a bird's point of view, people's opinion on 'human colonisation'
for Galápagos TV.
The exhibition Galápagos can be seen at The Bluecoat Liverpool, The Fruitmarket Gallery
Edinburgh and Centro de Arte Moderna
Lisbon.
On this website
• Award-winning palaeontologist and science writer Richard Fortey shares his thoughts on
Island Life
• Curators Bergit Arends and Greg
Hilty investigate the role of artists in nature's system and in
provoking a more ethical response to the natural world
• Felipe Cruz of the Charles Darwin
Foundation discusses the work of the scientists on Galápagos
• Actor and director Fiona Shaw muses on her visit and the
lasting impact it made