In 2015, it was proposed that the Anthropocene (the current era in which human activity has become the dominant force on Earth) be referred to by an alternative term – the Carbocene. This term emphasizes the dependence on burning black (hydro)carbons – that is, coal and oil, solar energy “canned goods.” The fact that this is a dependency demonstrates that burning fossil fuels is not evidence of human power, but rather evidence of how deeply humanity has been influenced by the very matter and energy from the Earth’s depths. And today, humanity struggles to break free from these patterns of behaviour. The extent to which excavation and mining have impacted the environment goes without saying. It is within this fraught, carbon-heavy legacy that Magdalena Lazar situates her latest body of work.

Lazar is an artist who comes from Upper Silesia, a region characterized by its mining history and her works in this solo exhibition are profoundly influenced not only by her personal experience, but…