In the Balance: Art for a Changing World

In the MCA's new exhibition, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, 30 artists and collectives engage with critical environmental issues. Exhibiting artists are predominantly Australian but they are supported by contributions from international artists.

As you come out of the lift onto the MCA's third floor, the first artwork that greets you is Janet Laurence's installation entitled ‘Cellular Gardens (where breathing begins)'. It's an ironic title as the plants are entrapped within artificial medical apparatus - glass vessels, steel supports, plastic tubing. Laurence is asking us to confront the question that weaves through the rest of the exhibition - what are we doing to our world?

Clever curation by Rachel Kent places Bonita Ely's sizeable body of work alongside linocuts by Indigenous artist Badger Bates. Both use linework to create meaning. Ely has photographed man-made grid structures along the bed of the Murray River made from string and sticks, a subtle human presence above a vulnerable natural environment.

Whilst maintaining an Indigenous art style, Badger Bates is forced to represent his deep understanding of his land in a new way - including the impact of colonisation on the landscape. The skeletons of dead fish indicate the dry conditions of Lake Wytuycka and there is a stark contrast between the flowing river alongside the rigid shapes of the buildings he depicts.

A room dedicated to artists involved in the Ghostnet Gear Project is especially powerful. Artist Angela Torenbeck created turtle sculptures out of ghostnet - fishing net left on the bottom of the ocean, and the very material that kills these animals. In the gallery space, we are left with spectral models of the turtles as if they were already extinct.

Be sure to give yourself two hours to explore the works in this free show that's both engaging and incredibly timely. It's an exhibition that really turns the light on upstairs. Just remember to switch it off when you're done. Aimee Wagenheim