The contemporary world is increasingly described as one in ‘polycrisis’, a term used to capture the way multiple global challenges- climate change, geopolitical instability, economic inequality, public health crisis - interact and amplify one another. The sense of living in a constant state of compounded emergency has reshaped how societies understand and respond to current situations.
Artists have become vital interpreters and critics of this polycrisis condition, engaging with its complexity through diverse media and practices. The Fine Art students at the University of Pretoria have explored notions of displacement, mental health, inequality and a search for belonging within this chaos. Their works visualize various crises, making them emotionally and imaginatively accessible. The works are reflective patterns on a wall actively contributing to rethinking how we might respond to this uncertain world. This is a critical process of slowing down as the condition of polycrisis creates fatigue, desensitisation, and narratives that obscure complexity. The intention in these student works is to disrupt, to demand attention and engagement. In doing so, their works reframe crisis not as an abstract phenomenon, but as something intimately connected to everyday life and personal responsibility.
Curator: Avi Sooful
