Art or Resistance?

„The true ecological secret lies not only in not doing anything but in negative work.“
Niels Pete Lester, 2018


The impending climate catastrophe is fundamentally challenging our society. It is based on cheap, fossil energy, and that is precisely where the problem lies. To have a future, it must be decarbonized as quickly as possible. This means – whether you like it or not – that nothing and nobody can continue as before. Not me. Not you either.

What are the consequences? What can save ourselves: Business as usual or large scale civil resistance? Must we all stop working and go on strike? What must we do at this crucial moment in human history – and what must we refrain from doing? How should we live? And how should we stop living?

I don't have much faith in the political effectiveness of art or literature. And yet I am driven by the question: are there works whose healing power is greater than their inherent ecological damage – which would therefore justify their existence? So far, unfortunately, I have not come across any such works.

My most recent works are an expression of deep insecurity and a restless search for answers.