The Animal Kingdom Is Revolting Against the King!

In 2023, London’s Serpentine Gallery inaugurated a major exhibition dedicated to Tomás Saraceno, titled Web(s) of Life. This exhibition explored the countless expressions of life on Earth, all intricately interwoven into a vast web where balance among species must be restored—dethroning humanity as the sole protagonist. Accompanying the exhibition was a catalogue, published by Ivorypress, from which the following essay, written by the artist himself, is drawn.

Saraceno’s text delves into the origins and motivations behind the exhibition, which serves not only as a presentation of his creative output but also as a powerful critique of capitalist society. He denounces an economic system that views nature merely as an entity to be endlessly and recklessly exploited for the economic gain of a privileged few—at the expense of countless others. The opening statement of the essay encapsulates this urgency: The animal kingdom is revolting against the King! It is imperative to rethink our role within complex ecosystems, beginning by dismantling the illusion of absolute control and ownership over nature and the Earth’s resources.

After engaging with indigenous communities of the so-called Global South—who, through their ways of life, safeguard approximately 80% of the planet’s biodiversity—Saraceno developed the ambitious vision of Cloud Cities. This artistic project merges multiple cultural dimensions, spanning from the conception and realization of artworks to a critical-philosophical reflection on the concept of sustainability. Recognizing the rights of animals, as well as those of indigenous human communities inhabiting the world’s so-called Rare Earths—which are increasingly devastated by extractivist policies and the exploitation mechanisms of globalized capitalism—emerges as a crucial first step toward the ethical resource management that Saraceno envisions for the future of our planet.

The clarity with which Saraceno articulates the significance of his art in the pages of this essay reaffirms the essential role of artists in contemporary society. By equipping as many people as possible with the tools to reflect on and deconstruct the complexities of our present, their contributions become indispensable.

T. Saraceno, Web(s) of Life, Madrid, Ivorypress, 2023.