Captions (in order of appearance): Carolina Caycedo, Fuel to Fire (video still), 2023, Video, color, sound. Courtesy of the artist. Carolina Caycedo and MAB (Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens), Águas para a vida / Water is Life, 2016, Geochoreography. Courtesy of the artist. Carolina Caycedo, The Salute of the Fish (detail), 2022. Artisanal hand-dyed cast net, embroidered patches, thread, steel, acrylic paint, lead weights. Private collection. Photograph by Ruben Diaz.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2024 – MARCH 2, 2025
OPENING RECEPTION: SEPTEMBER 28, 2024, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
We Place Life at the Center / Situamos la vida en el centro is an exhibition, publication, and educational platform that directs dialogue and points of exchange among art, science, and environmental justice in the Americas. The project stems from the work of Los Angeles-based Colombian artist Carolina Caycedo, whose art and research engage with the interrelated issues of water and land stewardship, food sovereignty, and fair and just energy transition.
Building upon four years of research and fieldwork in frontline communities across the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, the project promotes alternative solutions to the global climate crisis rooted in ecofeminist and environmental justice perspectives, and fosters networks of learning, solidarity, and action among diverse organizations and social movements throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The exhibition assembles new works by Caycedo produced since 2018, several on view for the first time, alongside artworks from artists and environmental movements within Caycedo’s network. More than the presentation of a single artist’s work, the exhibition provides a dynamic space for knowledge sharing across communities and geographies, inviting members of the public to reflect on the interconnectivity of the natural world and our shared responsibility in its stewardship. In doing so, we recognize the power of individual and collective efforts to confront the global extractive energy system and its negative effects on our planet.
Complementing the exhibition is a suite of educational programs and events, including an international convening of artists, scientists, and grassroots environmental leaders, and a specialized course on art and environmental studies at East Los Angeles College. The project culminates with a fully-illustrated English-Spanish publication co-published with X Artists’ Books.
We Place Life at the Center / Situamos la vida en el centro is organized by the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College. The exhibition is curated by Joseph Daniel Valencia with the assistance of Nadia Estrada and Gloria Ortega.
We Place Life at the Center / Situamos la vida en el centro is among more than 70 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art
We Place Life at the Center / Situamos la vida en el centro participated in the PST ART Climate Impact Program, a groundbreaking integration of climate action, community building, and data reporting as part of Getty’s landmark recurring arts event. The Vincent Price Art Museum tracked carbon emissions from exhibition travel and artwork shipping and developed programs to build community around climate action. Examples of specific climate initiatives integrated into the project include an ecological balancing program aimed at providing unrestricted funding to support the work of Indigenous and environmental justice organizations within our region. Information about the PST ART Climate Impact Program can be found at pst.art/climate
Additional support for this project is provided through a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
All exhibitions and programs at the Vincent Price Art Museum are underwritten by the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation and East Los Angeles College.