Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene

The first major exhibition of contemporary photography examining a world changed by human impact brings together an international cohort of 44 artists from six continents

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University February 26–August 3, 2025

(December 10, 2024—STANFORD, CA) The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University is pleased to present Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene, the first major exhibition of contemporary photography to examine our current era, widely conceptualized as the Anthropocene—a period defined by human impact on the global climate significant enough to suggest the dawn of a new geologic and historic age. Co-organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, The Trustees of Reservations, Second Nature was curated by Jessica May, Executive Director, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and Marshall N. Price, Chief Curator and Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. At the Cantor, this expansive, global exhibition brings together the work of 44 artists from around the world working in a wide range of photography-based practices who are exploring the profound environmental, social, and political upheaval of our transformative age, challenging our very understanding of the world around us.

“We are honored to present Second Nature at the Cantor. This exhibition, broad in scope and ambitious in vision, brings together a global cohort of artists whose diverse practices contribute invaluable depth and nuance to our understanding of the world we share. Here at Stanford, the exhibition coincides with the third academic year since the founding of the Doerr School of Sustainability in 2022, which is dedicated to advancing the study of the global climate crisis. We believe that the insights offered by this exhibition will play a crucial role in energizing cross-departmental conversations, expanding knowledge and inspiring meaningful actions for the sustainability of our shared future,” comments Veronica Roberts, John and Jill Freidenrich Director of the Cantor Arts Center.

Introduced by scientists just over twenty years ago, the term “Anthropocene” proposes a new geo-historical epoch marked by humanity’s profound impact on the planet’s climate. Though the term remains unratified by official scientific governing bodies, it has since transcended its origins to enter the domain of the common lexicon, resonating across disciplinary boundaries including sociology, economics, philosophy, and more to connect the concept to nearly every aspect of contemporary life. Organized into four thematic sections, Second Nature convenes an international cohort of 44 artists from six continents to present a far-reaching exploration of a world reshaped by human influence. Featuring a diverse selection of photographic works created since the year 2000—including digital and analog photography, mixed media, abstract, and conceptual practices—this exhibition assembles artists from diverse contexts, each contributing to a nuanced visual narrative essential for interrogating the Anthropocene.

Within “Reconfiguring Nature,” works reveal both Earth’s physical transformations and the evolving intellectual perspectives on the natural world, re-examining the legacies of colonialism as well as indigenous land rights and queer ecology. “Toxic Sublime” then explores the ways in which ecological trauma and violence have been aestheticized, depicting receding ice and aerial perspectives of striking yet devastated landscapes. As these crises intensify, “Inhumane Geographies” attempts to capture a world in flux, illustrating rising sea levels, pollution, and unchecked urbanization—vivid portrayals of an increasingly unstable and uninhabitable environment. Finally, “Envisioning Tomorrow” shifts focus forward, considering the ways in which art can evoke new paths into the future, essential for the possibility of a transformed human experience and an enriched fellowship with the natural world.

While the Anthropocene is often reduced to a discussion of climate alone, Second Nature broadens this framework to encompass the entirety of human impact on the planet. Rather than presenting a singular narrative, this exhibition invites audiences to view the Anthropocene as a complex web of interconnections spanning the political, economic, and ecological, as well as the human and the non-human realms. Providing space for reflection and insight, Second Nature both frames the challenges of our era and opens the potential for new engagement with these changes. 

Marshall N. Price comments: “We look forward to the Stanford community engaging with and enriching the dialogue sparked by Second Nature. The diverse artistic perspectives showcased within the exhibition offer essential nuance to pressing conversations on the Anthropocene, and this expanded discourse strengthens our collective response to critical global challenges.”

Participating artists include: Sammy Baloji (born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo), Adrián Balseca (born in Quito, Ecuador), Matthew Brandt (born in Los Angeles, CA), Edward Burtynsky (born in St. Catharines, Canada), María Magdalena Campos-Pons (born in La Vega, Matanzas, Cuba), James Casebere (born in Lansing, MI), João Castilho (born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil), Elena Damiani (born in Lima, Peru), Gohar Dashti (born in Ahvaz, Iran), Sanne de Wilde (born in Antwerp, Belgium), Andrew Esiebo (born in Lagos, Nigeria), Gauri Gill (born in Chandigarh, India), Noémie Goudal (born in Paris, France), Todd Gray (born in Los Angeles, CA), Acacia Johnson (born in Anchorage, AK), Mouna Karray (born in Sfax, Tunisia), Robert Kautuk (born in Iqaluit, Nunavut), Zhang Kechun (born in Bazhong, Sichuan Province, China), Rosemary Laing (born in Brisbane, Australia), Sze Tsung Nicolás Leong (born in Mexico City, Mexico), Anna Líndal (born in Hvammstangi, Iceland), Inka Lindergård (born in Saltvik, Finland) and Niclas Lindergård (born in Sandviken, Sweden), Pablo López Luz (born in Mexico City, Mexico), Dhruv Malhotra (born in Jaipur, India), Laura McPhee (born in New York, NY), Gideon Mendel (born in Johannesburg, South Africa), Hayley Millar Baker (Gunditjmara and Djabwurrung, born in Melbourne, Australia), Joiri Minaya (born in New York, NY), Aïda Muluneh (born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Léonard Pongo (born in Liège, Belgium), Meghann Riepenhoff (born in Atlanta, GA), Cara Romero (Chemehuevi, born in Inglewood, CA), Anastasia Samoylova (born in Moscow, Russia), Camille Seaman (Shinnecock, born in Huntington, NY), David Benjamin Sherry (born in Stony Brook, NY), Toshio Shibata (born in Tokyo, Japan), Sim Chi Yin (born in Singapore), Thomas Struth (born in Geldern, Germany), Danila Tkachenko (born in Moscow, Russia), Rajesh Vangad (born in Dahanu, India), Letha Wilson (born in Honolulu, HI), Will Wilson (Diné/Navajo, born in San Francisco, CA), Yang Yongliang (born in Shanghai, China).

Accompanying the exhibition, a major catalog edited by curators Jessica May and Marshall N. Price features an interdisciplinary collection of 11 essays that broaden the reach of Second Nature while advocating for intersectional, multifaceted frameworks for understanding the Anthropocene.

EXHIBITION CREDITS

Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene is co-organized by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, The Trustees of Reservations, Lincoln, Massachusetts. The exhibition is co-curated by Jessica May, Executive Director, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Marshall N. Price, Chief Curator and Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

The Cantor Arts Center presentation is curated by Maggie Dethloff, Assistant Curator of Photography and New Media. We gratefully acknowledge sustained support for Second Nature provided by The C. Diane Christensen Fund for African Art, The Mark and Betsy Gates Fund for Photography at the Stanford Museum of Art, The Elizabeth K. Raymond Fund for Photography at the Cantor Arts Center, and The Khoan and Michael Sullivan Fund.