Goodbye, World

curated by Andreas Templin and Raimar Stange

The Arts bid Farewell
Record high temperatures in the Arctic, rising sea levels, and erosion of rainforests leave no doubt: in the face of climate change, we risk saying goodbye to countless species of plants and animals, to islands and waterfront cities, and tragically to millions of people facing food insecurity from heat waves and droughts.

In the midst of this catastrophe, contemporary art is saying farewell, too. Goodbye, World brings eco-friendly works by internationally-renowned artists to an ice floe in Arctic Sweden where they will remain until the ice melts and the artworks sink to the ocean floor. The project not only reacts to the consequences of global warming, it tentatively aligns itself with these outcomes and conceptually applies them in its presentation.

The disappearance of art critiques an art industry that has been overly focused on the production and lucrative sales of works, while dealing in continuous visibility as a basis for commercial success. It is for this reason that Goodbye, World presents a scenario in which valuable works of art are 'sunk' and removed from circulation indefinitely.

Special thanks to Hanna Isaksson, Resurscentrum för Konst - Region Norrbotten, and to Eric, Susanne, and Shane at Luleå Archipelago Adventures.

Exhibition photography and videography: Sean Smuda, with additional photography by Andreas Templin.
Drone operator: Shane Doolin.
 
Andreas Templin practices art in a multivariate approach, which expresses in sculpture, photography, installations, urban interventions and sound art. He holds an MFA from Sandberg Institute Amsterdam and lives and works in Berlin.

Raimar Stange studied philosophy, German, and journalism in Hanover. He works as a freelance art journalist and curator in Berlin. Stange is published in magazines such as Kunst-Bulletin Zurich, art-agenda.com, Camera Austria Graz and Artist Bremen. He is currently curating exhibitions on topics such as climate change and right-wing populism.
 



Installation Images

Olaf Nicolai, Jonathan Monk, Peter Neimann, and Veit Schütz, Installation view.

Eliana Otta and Nika Fontaine, Installation view.
 

Veit Schütz, Peter Niemann, Installation view.
 

Goodbye, World, Installation view.
 

Martha Rosler, Pence in Space (Space Force), 2018/20, Installation view.

Jonathan Monk, The Tragic Tale of, 2020, Installation view.

Brochure Images

Nika Fontaine, Bread of Shame, 2020, Bread, activated charcoal, wine, Weihrauch incense, Dimensions variable.

Jonathan Monk, The Tragic Tale of, 2020, Wooden board, spray paint, 17.7 x 9.8 in.
 

Peter Niemann, Josephs Anzug (Joseph's suit), Original Joseph Beuys felt suit, Marlboro patch, 1997, 67.3 x 35.4 in.

Stefanie von Schroeter, Großer Knochen (large bone), 2012, Oil, lacquer, acrylic and ink on animal bone, 2012, 14.2 x 4.3 x 3.5 in.

Joulia Strauss, Rituals of environmental grief: First Delphic Hymn to Apollon, 2021, Ritual, Duration variable.

apexart’s program supporters past and present include the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Buhl Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Spencer Brownstone, the Kenneth A. Cowin Foundation, Epstein Teicher Philanthropies, The Greenwich Collection Ltd., William Talbott Hillman Foundation/Affirmation Arts Fund, the Fifth Floor Foundation, the Consulate General of Israel in New York, The Puffin Foundation, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by LMCC, funds from NYSCA Electronic Media/Film in Partnership with Wave Farm: Media Arts Assistance Fund, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.