Ines Doujak. Land Grab

Although many indigenous communities live according to tradition and manage their resources in an environmentally friendly manner, they are often the ones who are most strongly impacted by climate change. The planet’s warming climate is confronting those who live in the Global South with especially daunting challenges. In many countries, the continual exploitation, pollution and destruction of their habitats have even sparked resistance. Women, in particular, have taken to defending their land by fighting to protect their natural resources and indigenous population. In Latin America, these women often face the threat of persecution, rape and even murder by those whose interests are endangered. Since the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted in 2015, more than a thousand of such “land defenders” have been murdered, included the well-known Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres, who protested against illegal construction projects, plantation owners and the building of a dam.

The Austrian artist Ines Doujak, whose work at the documenta 12 drew attention to the theft of indigenous knowledge for commercial purposes, has launched a new activistic art project which calls for solidarity with the indigenous land defenders. She makes the case that serious climate change policies must also focus on fighting against the seizure of indigenous territories. As part of this art project, Doujak’s works on climate justice will be presented at the Temporary Gallery in Cologne. The artworks, in combination with a public procession, co-organised by local environmental interest groups, aim to raise awareness of a neglected aspect in the fight against climate change and inspire others to resist through artistic means.
 

Curators: Mateusz Okoński, Aneta Rostkowska
Artists: Ines Doujak

Exhibition: Temporary Gallery, Cologne: 29 Sep. – 17 Dec. 2023; procession, public space, temporary gallery, Cologne: 1–30 Nov. 2023