SICHENG WANG

Taking inspiration from the ancient existence of photosynthetic organisms, the exhibition Genesis and Future: Insights from Photosynthesizers invites the audience to reflect on the beginning of life (Genesis) and the forthcoming future (Future), contemplating how human activities have contributed to the development of the environment and biodiversity since the dawn of human history, and the sustainability of ecosystems.

Genesis: The existence of photosynthetic organisms can be traced back to the beginning of life on Earth. They are a group of organisms with the unique ability to synthesize or decompose organic matter by converting light energy into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. As the earliest forms of life on Earth, they synthesized organic matter and released oxygen through photosynthesis, which eventually led to an increase in the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere on Earth, creating favorable conditions for the later evolution of life in all its complexity and diversity.

Future: Amidst worsening environmental problems, photosynthetic organisms provide mankind with an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels. They also contribute to mitigating climate change and reducing air pollution in light of global warming by sequestering carbon. In addition, using photosynthetic organisms as a tool to provide solutions for agricultural production as well as food safety is also an avenue that could be explored through the research and application of photosynthetic organisms, as they are also capable of regulating their photosynthetic efficiency.

Present: In conjunction with the Project Space at Arario Gallery Shanghai, the work Beginning and Future is an on-site specific installation, utilizing the structure of the Light Cone to facilitate the incubation of photosynthetic bacteria and algae as the biological materials for this installation, which is a reflection on current global warming and energy crises. This work aims to engage the audience in dialogue and discuss various methods of combining art with life science expression. The artist hopes to encourage people to pay more attention to environmental issues, global warming, and other subjects that deserve our attention.

Collaborator: Lun SHI(Architect), ACE Lab

Scientific Advisor: Chengchi FANG (Ph.D. Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Special Thanks: Freshwater Algae Cultural Collection at the Institute of Hydrobiology