As the annual UN Climate Change Conference kicks back into gear in the United Arab Emirates amidst claims of secret oil deals and greenwashing, the responsibility of artists to speak truth to power has never been more pertinent. 

Storytelling remains one of the most vital tools in our collective struggle to reverse climate change. Narratives possess the unparalleled ability to break down complex issues, prompt critical self-reflection, foster empathy, and inspire intersectional solutions that cut across all aspects of human and non-human life affected by the climate crisis. This is especially true when world leaders seemingly reverse climate pledges, fail to invest in climate solutions, and repeatedly undermine the urgent threat of imminent environmental collapse.

In a bid to amplify global demands for climate justice, Art Partner, one of the world’s most prestigious creative agencies, announced the launch of #CreateCOP28 earlier this year—an annual open call for creatives to submit works that convey the urgency of climate action. The initiative harnesses the potential of art to cultivate a shared understanding of the climate crisis and inspire unified efforts to prevent further devastation. This year’s panel included photographer Mario Sorrenti, the Serpentine Galleries artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist, and our very own Willow Defebaugh, editor-in-chief of Atmos.

The winners of #CreateCOP28 have shared work that touches on extreme weather, consumer culture, and ocean conservation among other pressing issues. Some artists have curated digital archives of discarded physical objects in order to reframe trash as treasure, while others have created interactive installations aimed at confronting questions of personal accountability. Read on for more information about this year’s winning submissions, which will also be available for viewing via a virtual 3D exhibition and at a physical show at the United Nations building in New York from December 9 to December 14. 

Super Typhoon Rai, locally known as “Odette,” struck the Philippines just days before Christmas Eve in 2021, killing over 400 people and leaving hospitals, schools and homes devastated. As an island nation highly susceptible to the climate crisis, the Philippines faces an average of 20 typhoons annually. Super Typhoon Rai not only caused immediate physical damage on neighborhoods across the south-east, it also inflicted trauma and fear on coastal communities for years to come.

These communities build and rebuild after every passing storm only to face a recurring cycle of disaster and loss. After all, who else can they turn to for help after the storms have scarred their homes? The winning submission to #CreateCOP28 is the documentary, Passage of Storms, by Gab Mejia, which delves into the long-lasting impact of super typhoons on local people, and serves as an elegy for all the many lives that have been lost and forgotten.

Seaweed has become a popular topic of conversation amongst eco-influencers and journalists alike. It has been hailed as the superfood that can help solve the climate crisis, and has been used in beauty products for its antioxidant properties. But while the United Nations Environment Programme calls for cautious optimism amid enthusiasm for seaweed aquaculture’s diverse applications, the rising demand could risk both environmental health and endanger vulnerable communities—the effects of which demand urgent scientific scrutiny. 

Exploring the dual nature of “mare,” meaning both bad dream and sea in Italian, artist Francesco Migliaccio shines a spotlight on seaweed in his film submission, NIGHTMARE, which came joint in second place. Through video and photography, Migliaccio examines how our pursuit of seaweed, which has been dubbed “green gold,” is driving the exploitation of coastal communities all over the world—and urges respect for all life on Earth.

The climate crisis is reinforcing injustices the world over. It is driving resource scarcity, climate migration, environmental racism, and economic instability; it is also escalating the threat of violence and conflict. BIPOC youth and young people across the Global South—who are disproportionately impacted by climate change—are spearheading the intersectional social and environmental movements that are best positioned to solve the crisis. For her submission, artist Kasha Sequoia Slavner was inspired by the question: how can we amplify the voices of those pushing for climate justice, peace, and liberation?

In 1.5 Degrees of Peace, which came in second place, Slavner spotlights the stories of four young people in regions deeply affected by the intertwining forces driving climate change: militarization, conflicts, and systemic violence. Presented as a character-driven documentary, the film contrasts the struggles of young leaders advocating for environmental justice and demilitarization with the resilience, community, and visionary solutions embedded in their movements.

Scattered across the urban landscape, Junkspace paints a vivid picture of objects that have been deemed to be trash: frayed Yamaha motorcycle seats, Nestlé-stamped bins, Fujitsu and Energizer-branded batteries, and fragments from an unidentifiable product still embossed with a Bosch logo. In one of five runner-up submissions, Chloe Karnezi’s Junkspace takes a closer look at the transitional spaces where waste objects find a home.

Inspired by John Scanlan’s insight that an object is considered to be garbage when it no longer serves a purpose, Junkspace reframes waste as a failure of imagination. Through photogrammetry, Karnezi collected discarded items from across Athens, Greece, and digitally documented them in a bid to archive them as part of the digital realm. The idea is to give discarded objects a second life through new sculptural assemblages, reinforcing the notion that what was once dismissed can find renewed purpose in another dimension.

Can climate couture ignite change? This is the driving question behind Styles of the Anthropocene, artist Corinne Rivera’s submission about consumer culture’s complicity in driving the climate crisis. In this jarring visual series, AI-generated images blur the lines between fashion, opulence, and environmental collapse—depicting models dressed in exquisite gowns posing against overflowing landfills and melting glaciers.

Styles of the Anthropocene urges us to reconsider how our actions uphold the exploitative systems that are responsible for climate change, and prompts us to redirect our attention from influencers and celebrities to environmental justice and climate solutions. “Rooted in deep grief, this series aims to provide new entry points to discuss topics like algae blooms, microplastics, and raw mineral extraction,” said Rivera. The first step is to spark action.

Would we change our behavior if we felt the consequences of our unsustainable actions? Flooded House is hoping to prompt an honest answer.

By confronting the question of personal accountability, the participatory artwork by Julia E. Daser serves as a simulation that envisions a world where individuals directly experience the impact of their carbon footprint. The idea is to expose the glaring lack of responsibility among the predominantly western countries responsible for a worsening crisis that disproportionately impacts communities in the Global South.

Flooded House is an interactive experience in which the user’s choices directly dictate the extent of their home’s destruction from rising sea levels. It’s a direct cause-and-effect scenario, emphasizing the immediate consequences of individual actions. The artist’s goal is to cultivate empathy and instill a sense of responsibility, urging users to confront the tangible impact of their behaviors on the environment. 

Featuring a string quintet, trash, and electronics, Ocean Soundscape: Installation about Ocean Pollution is a 20-minute musical composition crafted to shed light on the urgent need for ocean conservation. The music quite literally mirrors the environmental degradation of our oceans by integrating discarded items into the orchestration, and hopes to redefine waste as a potential resource for artistic expression.

The piece takes listeners on a journey from the ocean’s depths to its surface, delineating the devastating impact of pollution through distinct sections. The composition crescendos with a climactic blend of recurring motifs, authentic oceanic sounds, discarded debris, dissonant electronics, and string quintet improvisations. When performed, the musicians are also encouraged to creatively insert trash under their instruments’ strings, and the venue is adorned with scattered debris to reinforce the soundscape’s core message.