Curated by Alïn-Sitoé Diallo 

RHYMES WITH ORANGE

Fold is pleased to present Rhymes With Orange a group show of four artists working predominantly with notions of space, land, and identity through the lens­­­ of nature and environment.

This show does not focus on colour; here orange is used as a dichotomy, a division or contrast between two things that are represented as being opposed or entirely different. In the botanical world, it implies repeated branching into two equal parts.

The colour orange alludes to ideas of culture, communication, dynamism, and flamboyance; it can also be a stimulant and represent determination. Orange can be a warning; it hovers between stopping and starting, between red (danger) and green (safety). Waiting on an orange light is getting ready to act, being on the edge, is a point in time, perhaps a danger clashing with hope.

The intersection of nature, geography, and the environment have an implication for our combined histories, human traces, and individual identities; our shared memories and history are provoked by the human impact on nature.

This show provides an alternative response to the climate crisis, by exploring environmental issues through each artist’s practice and inviting the viewer to rethink their proximity and relationship to nature; the work in this show is offering mediation between nature and culture on a more personal and intimate scale.

The artists in this show document nature in its physical, chemical, and transformative state, to create a space for contemplation and a dialogue with change. Embodied in each artist’s work is a dynamism of aesthetics and use of materials that explore the notion that small forces in nature are able to create an impact, or can make change happen. With a nod to Arte Povera, where natural resources and their potential values provoke narratives and stories connected to the land, there is the idea that the everyday environment becomes meaningful. No culture, no art system. Art is life and life is nature.