DE: Ausstellung @zed_nelson – "The Anthropocene Illusion" / Martha Müller-Grählert-Park
Gemalte Landschaften, Safari in Betonkulissen, Schnee aus Kanonen, wilde Natur hinter Glas: In dem Projekt richtet Zed Nelson den Blick auf Orte, an denen Natur zur Inszenierung wird. Freizeitparks, Zoos, künstliche Strände und Themenwelten versprechen Nähe zur Wildnis – und zeigen zugleich, wie weit wir uns von ihr entfernt haben. Alles wirkt vertraut – und zugleich merkwürdig konstruiert.
„Anthropocene Illusion“ zeigt den Wunsch nach Verbindung – und die technischen Mittel, mit denen wir versuchen, Nähe herzustellen.
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ENG: Exhibition Zed Nelson – "The Anthropocene Illusion"
Painted landscapes, safaris in concrete settings, snow from snow cannons, wild nature behind glass: in this project, Zed Nelson turns his gaze to places where nature becomes a staged spectacle. Amusement parks, zoos, artificial beaches and themed worlds promise a sense of closeness to the wilderness – whilst at the same time revealing just how far we have strayed from it. Everything seems familiar – yet strangely contrived.
‘Anthropocene Illusion’ reveals the desire for connection – and the technical means by which we attempt to create a sense of closeness.
Partner der Ausstellung
partner of the exhibition:
@epsondeutschland
@multipaneluk
@deutsche_adp
Die Ausstellung wird in Kooperation mit @geomagazin gezeigt.
Exhibition introduction & book signing: ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’ by Zed Nelson. Somerset House, 29 April, 4pm.
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4.00pm: Artist introduction within the exhibition, Room G7 / 4.30pm: Book signing at the bookshop, in the East Wing.
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Find out more about ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’ & meet the artist (that’s me), giving an informal introduction to the exhibition, on show as part of the Sony World Photo Awards at Somerset House this month.
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Join us at 4pm for a walk-and-talk introduction to the show by Zed Nelson, followed by a signing of the final remaining copies of the book at 4.30pm in the bookshop (in the East Wing).
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To join you need to buy a ticket to the Sony World Photo Exhibition, and can use the code ZED15 for a 15% discount on the ticket price.
Tickets should be bought directly from the Somerset House website and will give you entry to the whole Sony World Photography Awards exhibition (link in my insta bio).
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@sonyworldphoto@worldphotoorg@creoartsgroup@guesteditions@instituteartist@wiktoriami@monica.allende@thevoiceofavi@kairoscounterclub@hyde.anna@bel.jacobs_com@animal_think_tank #anthropocene #theanthropoceneillusion #zednelson
Find out more about 'The Anthropocene Illusion' and meet the artist with an introduction to the exhibition, on show as part of the Sony World Photo Awards at Somerset House this month.
Join us at 4pm on April 29th for an introduction to the show by Zed Nelson, followed by a signing of the final copies of the first edition of the book at 4.30pm in the bookshop (in the East Wing). We'll only have a limited number of books so be quick to get one.
To join you just need to buy a ticket to the Sony World Photo Exhibition, and can use the code ZED15 for a 15% discount on the ticket price. Tickets should be bought directly from the @worldphotoorg website and will give you entry to the whole show.
Somerset House, April 29th:
4.00pm: Artist introduction within the exhibition.
4.30pm: Book signing within the bookshop.
worldphoto.org
Hanging of ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’ exhibition at Somerset House. Part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition. I’ve been given a room to design a show, which opens 17 May. Loving the large prints by Spectrum Photographic in Brighton, who were a joy to work with. With special thanks to Patrick Waterhouse for his invaluable design input, and Monica Allende, overseeing curator.
(For link to show, see link in my Instagram bio).
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“While we destroy the natural world around us, we have become masters of a stage-managed, artificial experience’ of nature - a reassuring spectacle, an illusion.”
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Over six years, across four continents, Zed Nelson has examined how we humans immerse ourselves in increasingly simulated environments to mask our destructive divorce from the natural world. From theme parks, zoos and natural history museums, to national parks, African safaris and alpine resorts, this work reveals not only a global phenomenon of denial and collective self-delusion, but also a craving for a connection to a world we have turned our back on.
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In a fraction of our Earth’s history, we humans have altered our world beyond anything it has experienced in tens of millions of years. Scientists are calling it a new epoch, the Anthropocene - the age of humans. We have concentrated in cities and divorced ourselves from the land we once roamed and from other animals. Yet we cannot face the true scale of our loss.
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This work reflects on how, at a time of environmental crisis, a consoling version of nature has been packaged as a curated ‘experience’ - an illusionary spectacle designed to reassure.
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@spectrumlab@patrick_waterhouse@sonyworldphoto@worldphotoorg@creoartsgroup@guesteditions@instituteartist@wiktoriami@thevoiceofavi@monica.allende@kairoscounterclub@hyde.anna@bel.jacobs_com@animal_think_tank@joannemcarthurphotography #anthropocene #theanthropoceneillusion #zednelson
Why do we retreat into artificial experiences of nature, and what contradictions do these imply? Drawing on the simulacra we create to replace the wild, British photographer @zed_nelson reflects on his solo exhibition at PhEST in Monopoli, Italy, via the PhMuseum Photography Grant.
In the upcoming months, @_phest_ 's artistic director @giovannitroilo and photography curator @arianna_rinaldo_curator will select an artist from the PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant applicants to exhibit in the next edition of the Italian festival.
Delve into Zed's practice, impressions of the festival, and thoughts on photography's political role.e on phmuseum.com. The deadline has been extended and submissions remain open until 26 February.
#phmuseum #phest #zednelson
#PastEvent 🎬️ Zed Nelson: The Anthropocene Illusion
“We want and need nature, so we want and create synthetic versions of it to satisfy a craving.”
In this segment, Zed Nelson ( @zed_nelson ) introduces The Anthropocene Illusion, a #project six years in the making. Nelson examines how, as the #natural world rapidly erodes, we construct carefully staged and artificial encounters with “nature” — comforting spectacles that mask a deeper disconnection. The work exposes not only denial and self-deception, but also our enduring desire to reconnect with a world we continue to damage.
Guided by Ilvy Njiokiktjien ( @ilvynjio ), the discussion explores Nelson’s critical approach: a photographic practice shaped by the intersection of environmental crisis, human behavior, and the cultural narratives that define our relationship to the planet.
🎥 Access the full #event and future talks via the link in our bio.
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This @viifoundation event was made possible through our partnership with @photowings .
#theviifoundation #ZedNelson #TheAnthropoceneIllusion #EnvironmentalPhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #VisualCulture #Photojournalism #VisualStorytelling #ClimateVisuals
✨ 𝗔𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 ✨
Le #FIFDH vous donne rendez-vous du 𝟲 𝗮𝘂 𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘀 à Genève pour sa 24e édition 🎬🌍
Une année où le Festival interroge notre rapport au réel, à l’heure de la montée du fascisme et des bouleversements géopolitiques, environnementaux, sociaux et technologiques.
Cette réflexion prend forme à travers les affiches 2026 : un diptyque puissant issu de la série monumentale 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 du photographe et cinéaste britannique @zed_nelson , et développé par le duo de choc @studiobad.ch 📸
🎥 Zed Nelson partagera également son regard en tant que membre du jury du #FIFDH26.
📅 La programmation complète sera dévoilée le 12 février !
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✨ 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 ✨
The FIFDH invites you to Geneva from 𝟲 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 for its 24th edition 🎬🌍
This year, the Festival questions our relationship with reality in a time of profound geopolitical, environmental, social and technological upheavals.
This reflection takes shape through the 2026 posters: a powerful diptych drawn from the landmark series 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 by British photographer and filmmaker @zed_nelson , and developed by the creative duo @studiobad.ch 📸
🎥 Zed Nelson will also share his perspective as a member of the FIFDH26 jury.
📅 The full programme will be unveiled on 12 February!
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Crédit animation : Fabien Jupille
#FilmFestival #HumanRights #Geneva
Why Look at Animals? with Jo-Anne McArthur and Zed Nelson
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TALK: Thursday December 11th / Doors & drinks at 6.30pm / Talk starts 7pm / Venue: Kairos, 84 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TG
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How can contemporary photography, by focussing on our broken bonds with animals and the rest of the natural world, help drive a paradigm shift in our priorities and empathies?
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Award winning photographers Zed Nelson and Jo-Anne McArthur will be at Kairos to explore that question through two 20-minute visual presentations, followed by a group discussion.
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Zed Nelson’s new book, ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’ examines the way in which we construct artificial, stage-managed environments to mask our destructive impact on the natural world. The six-year project received the Sony World Photography Award 2025 and has been exhibited widely. Zed will discuss John Berger’s 1977 essay ‘Why Look at Animals?’ and its impact on his own work. Berger’s ground-breaking text explores how the ancient relationship between man and the rest of nature has been broken in the modern consumer age with the animals that used to be at the centre of our existence now marginalised and reduced to spectacle. It’s credited with influencing other recent art works, including a new performance piece by Complicite’s Simon McBurney and choreographer Crystal Pite, and a recent exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens.
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Jo-Anne McArthur, whose photographs document sites of animal exploitation and the individual animals trapped within them, will discuss the role photography can have in developing a new visual language, building a global movement and writing a new future. She will focus on ‘We Animals’, the platform she’s founded through which photographers can contribute to a vast, and growing, visual resource for those in animal advocacy. // See insta bio for booking link /// @guesteditions@luciefoundation@sonyworldphoto@worldphotoorg@creoartsgroup@instituteartist@guesteditions@wiktoriami@thevoiceofavi@kairoscounterclub@hyde.anna@bel.jacobs_com@animal_think_tank@joannemcarthurphotography #anthropocene #theanthropoceneillusion #zednelson @empathypr0ject
Photo @zed_nelson
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“The Anthropocene Illusions”
While we destroy the nature world around us, we have become masters of a stage-managed, artificial ‘experience’ of nature- a reassuring spectacle, an illusion”
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Submit your work and send to our team for a chance to be published!
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