Landscape art often presents a romanticized view, perpetuating the myth of “untouched and desolate nature.” However, this exhibition unveils the stories of colonialism, labor, and identity hidden behind those myths. Romance, Regret, and Regeneration in Landscape at The 8th Floor gallery does more than showcase hyper-saturated images of environmental catastrophe; it questions whose perspective the land is seen through.
One of the exhibition’s most striking works is Francis Alÿs’s video When Faith Moves Mountains (making of). Depicting hundreds of volunteers in Peru attempting to shift a 1,500-meter sand dune by a few centimeters, this piece, unlike Werner Herzog’s adventure film Fitzcarraldo, focuses on the experience of the local people. The video redirects the viewer’s attention from the visionary artist to the collective organization of local participants who bring the vision to life.
Megs Morley and Tom Flanagan’s video A History of Stone, Origin and Myth showcases massive stone blocks quarried in Ireland, making visible the labor of history and the perception of geological time. These stones, transformed into colonial monuments, attempt to perpetuate a limited historical narrative, while the film reminds us of a timescale that spans both pre- and post-human existence.
A key highlight of the exhibition is the work of the Chagossian people. Archival materials and Clement Siatous’s vibrant paintings of daily life on Diego Garcia challenge the British claim of an “uninhabited” island. These works illustrate the formation of a hybrid culture and how connections to the land are preserved in an era of global displacement. Siatous’s paintings stand as a direct rebuttal to British claims: “The archipelago had its own people.”
This exhibition reveals how proximate or grandiose landscapes create tensions through conflicting perspectives on land we claim as our own. It invites viewers to question whose gaze is being represented and to what end.
Exhibition Details:
- Title: Romance, Regret, and Regeneration in Landscape
- Curators: Anjuli Nanda Diamond and George Bolster
- Venue: The 8th Floor Gallery, 17 West 17th Street, Manhattan
- Date: On view until 13 December 2025
- Theme: Colonialism, Memory, Environment, and Identity in Landscape Art
