'Togetherness’ exhibition explores the devastating impact of climate change in Bangladesh
Updated: Dec 1, 2022
Our current exhibition is called ‘Togetherness’ and features original oil paintings by the social realism artist James Earley. 'Togetherness' explores the devastating impact of climate change on the most remote parts of Bangladesh through hyperrealist portraits of the residents that James met during his visit there with the social purpose organisation Friendship.
James is donating all proceeds from sales to Friendship, the organisation which are based in Bangladesh and are working to fight climate change - amongst other major issues. We are extremely proud to be a part of this after learning about the 'climate adaptation' projects that Friendship are undertaking in Bangladesh.
The way that countries like Bangladesh have adapted to climate change and unpredictable weather is truly remarkable. As Bangladesh is a huge delta (wetlands) crossed by hundreds of rivers, natural disasters such as flooding, cyclones and tropical storms are an inevitability. In the words of Friendship, "In Bangladesh, it is not a question of whether a disaster is going to happen, but rather when it will happen and with which intensity. The populations have no other choice than to adapt."
Friendship works with the communities on preparedness, response and strengthening resilience to these natural disasters through several fascinating projects. The first is mangrove afforestation, which involves planting mangrove trees to protect the coastline from tidal surges, capture carbon, and attract economy-boosting ecosystems.
"In Bangladesh, it is not a question of whether a disaster is going to happen, but rather when it will happen and with which intensity. The populations have no other choice than to adapt."
Friendship also work to raise villages above flooding level on plinths to provide safe and clean accommodation for communities displaced during floods. Where buildings can be adapted to be more disaster-resilient during design and construction, this is also implemented. One example of this are the schools that Friendship have built in Bangladesh; they are built in a way that allows them to be deconstructed if the land breaks apart during floods. Other schools and essential facilities such as hospitals are built on boats to ensure access remains during natural disasters.
When James visited Bangladesh, he was able to speak to many local people who live through these disasters. He reported some amazing stories, and each painting in our exhibition is accompanied by the backstory of the person in the painting creating a true sense of connection between the subject and the audience.
The exhibition can be found here, and will remain in the gallery until December 5th 2022.