[Field Sketch] Confronting the Climate Crisis Through Art and Dialogue
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Climate Crisis Special Exhibition: Messages Through Art
The Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art hosted the special exhibition “The Day the Waiting Ends” to raise climate awareness among residents and foster a shared sense of urgency in this era of climate crisis. The exhibition visually conveyed the need for climate action and renewable energy through artworks connected to nature and ecology. To expand the exhibition’s meaning and impact, the Climate Change Center Foundation co-organized citizen participation programs, including expert lectures and film screenings, encouraging both awareness and practical daily action.
Beyond the Artwork: Experts Share Climate Stories – “Questions at the Doorstep of the Climate Crisis”
The open lecture series complemented the exhibition by covering themes such as resource circulation and energy transition, offering accessible insights that helped citizens connect the meaning of the artworks to everyday climate action.
“The Waste Around Us” – August 9
Hong Soo-Yeol, Director of the Resource Circulation Society Economy Research Institute and creator of the YouTube channel “Help Me, Waste Doctor”, opened the series. Using the metaphor of “a well running dry while the bathtub is overflowing,” he explained the accelerating climate crisis, highlighting issues like resource overconsumption, supply chain instability, environmental pollution, and microplastics. He emphasized the urgency of a circular economy, presenting practical examples and easy steps citizens can adopt in daily life.
“Energy Transition, a Shift in Thinking” – August 30
Kim Sun-Kyo of the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), widely known as an “energy enthusiast,” delivered the second lecture. He stressed that energy transition is not an option but a necessity in the climate crisis era, sharing international trends in renewable energy expansion. He underscored that the core challenge lies not only in technology but also in changing mindsets and making collective social choices. His message: “Small shifts in how we think today can transform the future.”
“What I Can Do, What We Can Do” – Final Session
KBS producer Koo Sang-Mo, director of the Korean environmental documentary “Red Earth”, concluded the series. Drawing on his firsthand experiences filming climate disasters and interviewing experts, he described how the camera captured not just landscapes but collapsed lives and urgent voices. He emphasized that climate change is not a problem others can solve for us—it is a collective task that demands action now. He closed by encouraging resilience and solidarity, stressing that rather than remaining in despair, we must embrace flexible adaptation and shared responsibility.
Through Citizens’ Eyes and Voices – “Today, the Earth We Face”
The film screening moved beyond conventional explanatory documentaries, instead immersing the audience in raw, unfiltered footage and powerful scenes that vividly captured the reality of the climate crisis. Rather than delivering political messages, it enabled viewers to sensorially experience extreme climate events unfolding across the globe, allowing them to feel the urgency of our shared reality. This work compiled recordings from 17 countries in more than 12 languages, illustrating the interconnected and global nature of the crisis. Individual stories came together to create a “borderless empathy,” posing the urgent question of why we must act now. The Here Now Project pushed back against the tide of desensitizing climate content, sharply confronting audiences with the immediacy of the crisis—the here and now.
Following the screening, an Artist Talk Concert was held with participating exhibition artists Park Sun-Min and Lee Chae-Won, joined by cultural planner Cho Young-Sun, director of Arori. The panelists reflected on the realities of the climate crisis portrayed in the film, discussed the connections between their artistic practice and climate issues, and shared personal stories of everyday climate action. Audience members also exchanged their own experiences in open dialogue. The talk created a space where citizens could cultivate a sense of urgency, empathy, and renewed recognition of the need for action—not only individually, but also at the societal level.
