FLOW of Change took place November 6, 2022 marking the opening of COP27.
It was the single largest climate-inspired water installation in Mexico City.
ART|unknown., in partnership with the Government of Mexico, Epson, MuseoUnido, and in affiliation with The Palace of Fine Arts Mexico, is proud to announce FLOW of Change, a one night only exclusive exhibition and largescale light installation in the heart of Mexico City.
Located at Casa Mandela – a secret gem hidden away in the beautiful Polanco Gardens, ART|unknown. will be taking over the space at nightfall opening the boutique private gallery to the public. The theme of the evening focuses on water justice as a crucial aspect of climate change that is forcefully impacting Mexico forcefully. True to this motif the FLOW of change gallery will feature photographs that capture the face of climate change and the water crisis: black, diasporic and indigenous communities from in all corners of Mexico.
Directly in front of the boutique gallery at Casa Mandela just after nightfall will be the unveiling of the visual water installation, carrying the same namesake. Allow yourself to be transported into the heart of a visual masterpiece projected with light and sound on surface of the crystal pools. Overlayed with moving poetry by AfroMexican environmentalist Citlali Aguilera Lira, guests are welcome to gather on the sides of the shimmering pools to see this installation come to life. Importantly, we urge you to use the surface of the water to look at your own reflection and see a better tomorrow for climate.
FLOW of Change took place on November 6, 2022 marking the opening of COP27 and will be the single largest climate-inspired water installation in Mexico City commemorating this occasion.
FLOW of change harnesses the following SDGs
Target 1: Zero Poverty
Target 5: Gender Equality
Target 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth
Target 13: Climate Action
Target 17: Partnerships For The Goals
Art x Cimate?
The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) will be held this year from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This convention the most important single gathering that shapes the international agenda in the fight against climate change. As one of the biggest challenges of our time, our leaders convene and set milestones that will shape the way forward. As such, whether as an act of solidarity or gesture of opposition, COP has over time become a season of artistic performances, exhibitions and events which coincide with the period of negotiations. Whether is it a giant rotating sphere conveying earth in crisis in under the Eiffel Tower, or giving a heartbeat to deforestation by projecting trees on the Colosseum the cultural sector in nearly every major city in the world is creating art to show the world is watching and changes must be made.
Climate action must be a priority.
Here’s the climate reality
In Mexico, the Afro-descendant population, recognized as the third cultural root, amounted to 2.5 million people in 2020. This means that for every 100 people living in the country, two are considered Afro-descendants because of their history, culture and traditions.
As Mexico (and our world) becomes warmer, the footprint of climate change can be seen everywhere you look. Climate scientists observe impacts like sea-level rise, longer and more intense wildfire seasons, and devastating. As a marginalized community, indigenous groups like the afro Mexican population will be effected first.
In Mexico, millions of people are at risk from a lack of adequate water due to climate change. And water supplies are already strained because of other factors like population growth.
Mexico City is especially thirsty
Centuries ago, the city (then called Tenochtitlan) was known as “the Venice of the New World” because of its enormous lakes. But today, Mexico City must pump water from deep underground – in fact, it gets “as much as 40 percent of its water from remote sources.”
Climate solutions have a face
The unveiling in Polanco Gardens, arguably one of the most affluent areas in Mexico City, will offer a reflective paradox driving the point that climate degradation manifests in poor and marginalized communities first. Visual representation of these spaces and faces offer a way in which to confront and communicate the universality of climate disparity.
Visual communication can change climate change — by filling our imaginations with visions for a better future, making complex information understandable, and inspiring us to act today.