Artist Solmaz Farhang chosen for Humber Street Gallery and University of Hull’s Climate Public Response project

Humber Street Gallery and the University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute have announced that Solmaz Farhang has been chosen as the successful artist in their Climate Public Response 2024/25 open call.

The open call sought bold, visionary proposals for a new commission of visual art that delves into the challenges of living and working on the Yorkshire coastline at the interface between land and sea. Farhang’s selection sets the stage for an exploration of coastal erosion, climate change, and the intertwined themes of community strength, loss, and hope in the face of environmental uncertainty.

Solmaz is an interdisciplinary artist based in London whose work spans and expands upon different disciplines including photography, video art, assemblage, drawing and multimedia installations. Central to her artistic practice is an exploration of storytelling and speculative thinking, through which she engages with themes of identity, ecology and the relationship between human and nature.

Solmaz’s innovative approach leads her into unfamiliar environments, such as ecology and research labs, where she employs unconventional tools and materials along with found objects to create fresh, insightful perspectives. Through this lens, she leverages the concept of unknowing as an empowering force, transforming the absence of specific expertise into an opportunity for creative explorations and creation of new forms of knowledge.

Solmaz said: “I’m looking forward to working with the team at Humber Street Gallery and the University of Hull on this new project. Both organisations have a reputation for highlighting the real damage that is being done to our environment in ways that are meaningful to audiences and communities and I’m excited to be part of this.”

Climate Public Response forms part of Humber Street Gallery’s ongoing collaboration and partnership with the University of Hull and the Energy and Environment Institute, addressing their commitment to exploring environmental and coastal challenges across the Humber and North Sea region.

Marianne Lewsley-Stier, Artistic Director and CEO of Humber Street Gallery said: “Climate change and environmental challenges are issues that affect us all in different ways. We have a history of working with artists to explore this topic from the global to the hyper-local. Because of our unique geography in the Humber region, we see many of the impacts of these changes first hand and we’re keen to explore how we, as communities can evolve with our changing geography and climate to work with nature and mitigate further harm.”

The project aims to blend artistic creativity with academic inquiry and community engagement to foster a deeper understanding of coastal communities across the Humber region and will involve Farhang collaborating with the Energy and Environment and community groups along Yorkshire’s East Coast, in an effort to blend artistic creativity with academic research, community stories and perspectives.

Professor Briony McDonagh said: “We’re delighted to be working with Solmaz to explore challenges and opportunities encountered by coastal and estuarine communities at the forefront of the UK climate transition. The collaboration builds on our previous successful projects with colleagues at Absolutely Cultured, including our 2021 commission FloodLights, and forms part of our new UKRI and DEFRA-funded Coast-R Network which is coordinating and championing the Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas Programme.”

The work will form part of Humber Street Gallery’s ambitious annual programme of exhibitions with Farhang’s work being on display from 14 February to 18 May 2025 and will be a precursor to Humber Street Gallery’s theme for 2025 – 2026 – ‘Tactics of Togetherness’ and how bringing people and landscapes together can generate solidarity and resourcefulness.

Solmaz is a graduate of MA Art and Science from the University of Applied Arts Vienna, cofounder of the art and design collective Transformation Agency for Agency (DTAFA) and an Associate Lecturer at the University of the Arts London. She has exhibited her work in venues such as Forum Stadtpark Graz (AT), Natural History Museum of Vienna (AT), National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA), Ars Electronica, Linz (AT), Museum Quartier Vienna (AT), Kunsthalle Exnergasse (AT), Angewandte Interdiciplinary Lab (AT), Etiuda & Anima Festival (PL) and European Capital of Culture in Novi Sad Serbia (RS).