Esther Kokmeijer - Agreement with Nature
Nobody can own what belongs to everyone
Imagine there are parts of our world that do not belong to any one country or person but to everyone. Have you ever wondered who owns Antarctica for instance? Esther Kokmeijer uses her expertise in Arctic and Antarctic science to explore the idea of shared ownership, specifically oriented towards the concept of the Global Commons. This is a term used in international law for the parts of our world that go beyond national claims, like Antarctica, oceans, the atmosphere, and outer space, and therefore belong to everyone and nobody. No one can say, ‘This is mine!’ While, at the same time, these places belong to all of us. That is why we have to take care of them together because they are important for the whole world.
“Antarctica belongs to no one and therefore to us all.”
In this video, Esther Kokmeijer shares her artwork called Agreement with Nature (2015-2020). The artwork consists of 222 sheets of delicate porcelain, exact replicas of the global agreements. One of these is the Antarctic Treaty, which helps protect and share collective responsibility over Antarctica. By using porcelain, a fragile material, Esther wants to show how despite their importance in protecting our planet, these agreements are extremely delicate.
All Directions
This artwork is part of the exhibition All Directions. In this exhibition you discover more about identity and happiness, about crossing borders and being forced to flee, about saying goodbye and coming home. Read more about All Directions.
