Metabolic Rift

26 Jun-9 Aug 2025

PV 25 Jun 2025, 6-8pm

Overview

Brian Bress, Gareth Cadwallader, Nick Goss, Timothy Lai, Rebecca Manson, Benedetto Pietromarchi, Belén Rodríguez, Victor Seaward, Rae-Yen Song, Vicky Wright and Rember Yahuarcani

The sociologist John Bellamy Foster coined the term ‘metabolic rift’ in reference to the Marxist characterisation of the disruption of the natural cycle of exchange between human society and the environment. 

A conversation about the shifting relationship between humans and nature began at a recent visit to Vicky Wright’s studio, where the artist drew attention to the metabolic rift she was accessing in her painting. A discussion emerged about this delicate network of interconnectivity, a relationship which has formed against the background of the Anthropocene- our current geological period, defined by humanity’s impact- where human action has forced destruction and development alike onto our surroundings. The conversation conjured a vision of dark and hopeful mutations- dreams and distortions spurred by ecological crisis. Like algae that can break down plastic, and interspecies kinships which can mitigate against loss, potential roles for nature as a saviour of humankind, rather than its victim, emerged. This crystallised into the idea of the hybrid: futuristic versions of contortion and growth. When cast over this selection of new work by gallery artists and new contributors to our program, this hybridity offers a way of looking at each work's individual transformations and points of tension.