This spring, the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art presents “Civilization: The Way We Live Now,” a monumental photography exhibition that focuses on the development of human life on a global scale in the 21st century, and the patterns of behavior—collaboration and conflict, production and consumption—that now connect people to an unprecedented degree. While acknowledging the efforts of individuals to shape the world around them, and the differences between and among cultures, the exhibition focuses specifically on the collective achievements—and tensions—that narratives of individualism and heterogeneity tend to obscure. The show foregrounds the development of the medium of photography and the unique ability of photographers to create a multifaceted portrait of the present era.
“Civilization: The Way We Live Now” is curated by William A. Ewing and Holly Roussell. The exhibition is co-produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/New York/Paris/Lausanne, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea, Seoul.