Sheng-Wen Lo’s Not Bad Intentions. Attempts to Coexist examines interactions between human and nonhuman worlds. Across three works—spanning video, photography, installation, and participatory projects—Lo inspires critical discussions on coexistence, challenging anthropocentric views and revealing how ‘sustainable’ solutions can themselves be fraught with contradictions.
Among these works, Matter of Scale questions the large-scale expansion of seaweed farming: lauded as a sustainable practice in Western countries, yet already causing major ecological disturbances in East Asia.
Elsewhere, White Bear focuses on the lives of polar bears in captivity, confined to the artifice of elaborate zoo enclosures. Here, Lo probes at the ethics of captive animal programmes, which hover at the intersection of conservation and entertainment.
Finally, Down charts Lo’s bid to create a handmade down jacket from feathers collected in the Netherlands. Testing his garment in the Arctic, Lo’s efforts establish a playful commentary on the toll of mass production and the viability of sustainable alternatives.
OGYRE X EXPOSED
Ogyre is an Italian startup dedicated to Ocean protection by directly involving local fishing communities in Italy, Brazil, and Indonesia, offering them logistical support and financial compensation. Through its ‘Fishing for Litter’ campaigns — collecting waste from the sea — it actively engages companies and citizens in its mission. Every activity is tracked through blockchain technology and certified directly by Ogyre, ensuring transparency, reliability, and a measurable environmental impact.
Ogyre has chosen to donate the discarded fishing nets featured in Sheng-Wen Lo’s solo exhibition Not Bad Intentions. Attempts to Coexist, contributing to giving new life to ‘waste’ through art. The collaboration with EXPOSED Torino Foto Festival includes a partnership program aimed at creating a campaign for the protection of marine ecosystems and their biodiversity. The initiative involves collecting 1,000 kg of waste from the waters of the three continents where Ogyre operates, with the goal of implementing concrete practices for protection and conservation, inspired by the reflections offered by Lo’s research.