Survival of the Fittest: Technology and Nature at Kunstpalais Erlangen

Curated by Milena Mercer, the group exhibition "Survival of the Fittest" at Kunstpalais Erlangen (until May 24, 2020) explores the intersection of environmental crisis and technological progress. The show features works by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Tega Brain, Julian Oliver, Bengt Sjölen, Anna Dumitriu, Alex May, and James Bridle, among others. Ginsberg presents a self-inflating antipathogen membrane for tree trunks. Brain, Oliver, and Sjölen use satellite imagery to monitor desertification. Dumitriu and May imagine future marine species due to rising sea temperatures. Bridle's "Cloud Index" algorithm correlates election results with weather patterns, satirizing polls and highlighting climate migration. The exhibition adopts a Wunderkammer aesthetic, posing questions rather than answers, and emphasizes the need for concrete human action over technological reliance. It references Johann Paul Friedrich Richter's "Weltschmerz" and Sartre's "nausea" to evoke contemporary societal disorientation.