A massive mirror of anthracite coal. A primordial forest. A rave deep inside a palm oil plantation. Look forward to experiencing Julian Charrière’s highly relevant and conceptually insightful works that investigate the role of humankind within earth systems. The exhibition Solarstalgia is Charrière’s first solo show in Scandinavia.

The French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière (b. 1987) is a central figure on the international contemporary art scene. With an activist and scientific approach, Charrière explores our changing ideas of nature and how these have transformed across time. He invites critical reflection on humanity's use of natural resources and its impact on the environment and ecosystems in all-encompassing installations.

The exhibition Solarstalgia will immerse visitors in a darkened, marsh-like environment that evokes the ancient swamps of the Carboniferous era, highlighting the transformation of organic matter into fossil fuels over millions of years. Through a number of large-scale installations, Charrière underscores the absurdity of humanity's exploitation of these ancient landscapes and the deep temporal and emotional dissonance it creates.  

A play on the concept of solastalgia, the title suggests a collective deep-seated anxiety about environmental change and ecological collapse. In a scenography of past and present, the show connects existing artworks such as Panchronic Garden and An Invitation to Disappear with groundbreaking new commissions that invite the public to project themselves into endangered ecosystems and become protectors on their behalf.

The exhibition is the second in ARKEN's exhibition trilogy NATURE FUTURE, which focuses on the relationship between humans, nature, and technology.

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The exhibition is funded by

New Carlsberg Foundation
Beckett Foundation
Obel Family Foundation