Climate Impact Report: Mika Rottenberg

Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles hosted the first major presentation of Mika Rottenberg’s work on the West Coast to celebrate the global release of ‘Remote,’ her first feature-length film, made in collaboration with producer and writer Mahyad Tousi. The exhibition opened on June 23 and included video works, ‘Spaghetti Blockchain’ (2019), ‘Cosmic Generator’ (2017), ‘NoNoseKnows’ (2015), and ‘Sneeze’ (2012), in addition to new kinetic sculptures, drawings, and installations.

Rottenberg illustrates the absurdity of humanity's rampant production, distribution, and consumption of objects by juxtaposing existing industry with her own, often unexpected, manufacturing systems. ‘I think of objects in terms of the processes behind them and the idea that humankind is captured in everything around us. I want to make these processes more visual. If art has any power, it is in making things visible.’ From pearl and food cultivation to the mass-production of wholesale plastic items sold in China, Rottenberg excavates the processes humans invent to create a sense of control.

In line with the Paris Climate Agreement of the United Nations, we are reducing our carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030. Since making our commitment, we have reduced our emissions by 9 percent and continue to drive actions to accelerate meeting our target. Reductions are happening by switching to renewable energy, transitioning to LED lighting, purchasing electric vehicles and tracking carbon emissions and waste associated with our air freight.

Commitments • Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 50 percent by 2030 in line with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This includes reducing our freight, business travel and exhibition construction emissions • Support Strategic Climate Funds, projects that preserve existing forests and positively impact communities backed up by climate justice initiatives • Actively promote and provide a platform for industry collaboration

The exhibition’s carbon emissions were assessed according to Scope 1, 2 and 3 by the Carbon Accounting Company (CAC). The methodology for the exhibition emissions quantification follows the principles and methods of The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. The lifecycle emissions quantification of construction materials follows the principles of the ISO 14040:2006 Standard.

Following the report, we plan to run a workshop with our local team so they understand the findings of the report and can incorporate climate conscious choices into future exhibitions. Alongside the carbon budgets that Hauser & Wirth is using for exhibitions in 2023, colleagues can use the CIR document as a base to consider the full sustainability spectrum of a specific exhibition. It is interesting to reflect on how decisions about wall build construction have an impact and what the gallery team can do to reduce waste going forward.

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Read the Climate Impact Report (CIR) for the exhibition ‘Mika Rottenberg’ at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, 23 Jun – 2 Oct 2022, published on the artist-led sustainability platform Artists Commit.

This exhibition’s Climate Impact Report (CIR) is published on the artist-led sustainability platform Artists Commit. Launched in November 2021, the CIR concept was created by Artists Commit. Written in March 2023, this is the third in a series of CIR’s published by Hauser & Wirth.