We can no longer deny that the natural world is more vulnerable than ever to human impact. The seeming abundance of natural resources that we draw from to support exponential population growth, endless expansion, and a relentless cycle of consumption and disposal belies the fragility of this planet. Our ability to address the evidence—in spite of flagrant disbelief, hubris, and resistance to the realities of climate change—is now of the greatest import.

It is unproductive to silo topics such as human rights and equity, climate change and sustainability. Instead, we must recognize these issues as interrelated—making our response to their associated challenges all the more urgent. As is often the case, artists are at the vanguard of social change. Through their work, they offer hope and possibility in the face of crisis.

FOR-SITE’s new exhibition, Lands End, invites visitors to wade into an immersive environment where their charge is twofold: to discover artwork in unlikely places and to consider the planet’s health. By bringing together a group of artists from around the world, the exhibition strives to remind viewers of our interconnectedness via global currents of water and air, and to encourage them to partake in all the fresh ideas and perspectives that emerge from the rising tides as we head deeper into this tumultuous century.

Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood
Confectionery Marvels and Curious Collections

The collaborative projects of Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood reflect a shared fascination with how we view, understand, and interact with the natural and material worlds. Confectionery Marvels and Curious Collections, the latest in an ongoing series of related sculptures and installations by the husband-and-wife artists, finds a fitting home in the former Cliff House, which was once a dining establishment. Drawing us in with their jewel-like colors, these fanciful cast-resin desserts reveal upon closer inspection the glistening confections as melting, moldering, and dotted with insects—a familiar restaurant tableau transformed into a display of decadence and decay. At once whimsical and grotesque, the work provokes thought about our culture of consumption and waste, and confronts a startling reality in the land of plenty: billions of dollars’ worth of food is wasted in the United States each year, while millions around the world face hunger and food insecurity.

Confectionery Marvels and Curious Collections, 2021; resin, insects, porcelain, plaster, glass, various dry and wet specimens; courtesy of the artists

Lands End
November 07, 2021 – March 27, 2022
FOR-SITE Foundation
1090 Point Lobos Ave San Francisco, CA 94121

Visit exhibition website.