A talk by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, author of Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism, followed by a conversation with Lucia Pietroiusti, Head of Ecologies at Serpentine.
This is a weekend series exploring worlding and life cycles through the lens of ecology. Part of the Infinite Ecologies Marathon.
In her effort to break the ‘spell’ of colonial modernity, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira critiques the often self-congratulatory tendencies within activism, urging instead for an approach rooted in humility, where failure is embraced as a profound opportunity for growth and deeper living. She challenges us to mature, take responsibility, and actively engage in the work of healing ourselves, our communities, and the living Earth, disrupting the destructive patterns of modernity that threaten our planet’s future.
Machado de Oliveira will discuss her pioneering work on applying palliative care methods to modernity. Building on her conversation with Serpentine’s Head of Ecologies, Lucia Pietroiusti, for e-flux Journal, she will respond to a series of propositions inspired by her book and research on relationality and modernity.
The Infinite Ecologies Marathon is a long durational project that looks at the world-building potential of culture in the face of ecological destruction. Committed to working towards planetary thriving, this interdisciplinary series centres artist-led reimaginings for environmental action.
Ecologies is Serpentine’s new interdisciplinary department, dedicated to developing a holistic, flexible and adaptive approach to embedding environmental purpose throughout Serpentine’s programmes, infrastructure and networks. Our mission is to place culture at the core of environmental efforts, demonstrating how environmental commitment can steer the cultural sector. Ecologies emerged from the insights gained through the General Ecology project and Back to Earth.
BSL interpretation is available upon request. Please get in touch at [email protected] if you would like to request this.
Artist Bio
Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti is a Brazilian educator and Indigenous and land rights activist. She’s the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria and holds a Canada Research Chair in Race, Inequalities and Global Change at the Department of Educational Studies, University of British Columbia. She is also the author of the book Hospicing Modernity. Her teaching and research focus on analyses of historical and systemic patterns of reproduction of knowledge and inequalities and how these limit or enable possibilities for collective existence. de Oliveira Andreotti is one of the founders of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Arts/Research Collective and Teia das 5 Curas network of Indigenous communities in Brazil.
Curated by Lucia Pietroiusti, Head of Ecologies, and Daisy Gould, Assistant Curator, Live Programmes.
Produced by Isobel Peyton-Jones.
The Infinite Ecologies Marathon is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Lucia Pietroiusti, Head of Ecologies, Kostas Stasinopoulos, Curator, Live Programmes, and Daisy Gould, Assistant Curator, Live Programmes
