“Crisis” is a powerful word, and whoever paired it with “climate” knew precisely what they were doing. For many young Americans, including myself, the term conjures up images of burning forests, melting ice caps and record-breaking hurricanes. However, “the ShowRoom” — the current exhibit at the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) Art Space — acknowledges this dire line of thought without parading its urgency, offering a perspective on the ecofuture that is both accessible and utilitarian.
The exhibition features the work of five artists who depict the world in its current state without hyperbole or shying away from difficult realities. The result is playful, thoughtful and practical. They illustrate real-world data, model abstract solutions to water scarcity and illustrate the power of community. They furnish spaces with formerly rust-laden metal and encourage children to help reveal changing temperatures. These stories are tangible and rational. But their emotional resonance? That’s for us, the viewers, to discover.
Modeled around an old couture showroom — and with a similar allure, curator Cori Champagne envisions the waterfront gallery as a setting where aspirations toward a better future are within reach: “I think artists are really uniquely positioned in that they’re able to make visible very complicated things … these small actions are seemingly disparate, but in this setting, that vision is much more cohesive than some abstract, large-scale solution,” Champagne said.