January 2023. How do we move from the Anthropocene to the Symbiocene? From taxing to enriching, from short-term thinking to long-term thinking, from I to We, from ego to eco? What new words, new images and new ways of working can help us do this? And how do we do it in such a way that we make the untapped opportunities visible and create hope and courage?

This theme week, in which all students of the Breitner Academy participate, focuses on these questions.

Five artists working in this field have been invited to guide the students in their research. These are: Yuchen Li & Aldo Ramos, Teresa Borasino, Helmut Dick, Leon van Opstal and Theun Karelse. Since artists are eminently capable of shifting our perspective, as they are our main storytellers, they may be able to help us make the shift towards the Symbiocene, towards a world where humans and nature reinforce each other - again.

Each artist works with a group of about 25 students from the Breitner on a pre-formulated task. What are the areas of interest that will be addressed in our quest for the Symbiocene? We list a few: Connecting. Earth-knowledge. Biodiversity. Rights for nature. Other peoples. We are nature. Loving the earth. The five artists' focal points are well reflected in the titles of the tasks: 'Art as reciprocity', 'Antropho-no-seen', 'Elementary', 'Kinetic project' and 'Mythical creatures'.

Read all about the theme week