Exit Art announces second exhibition of the SEA (Social-Environmental Aesthetics) program; It’s Not Easy to open in Exit Underground on July 24 with over 200 international works

It’s Not Easy is an exhibition inspired by the recent tidal wave of efforts to go ‘green’. As new buildings seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, as major corporations seek to ‘green’ their practices, and as global warming puts the need to be green at the forefront, we are virtually inundated with social pressures to be environmentally sustainable. But what does being ‘green’ really mean? Exit Art asked that question to artists, activists and the general public through a ConceptPlus call for works, soliciting their responses through email.

The photographs, texts, drawings, graphics and other works submitted by email in It’s Not Easy were printed on 8 1/2” x 11” recycled paper, giving equal – and sustainable – presentation to each work. With over 200 international responses, It’s Not Easy explores the multiplicity of cultural, political and environmental meanings of ‘green’.

It’s Not Easy is the second exhibition of SEA, a new initiative at Exit Art that addresses social and environmental concerns through experimental presentations and a permanent archive. SEA will assemble artists, activists, scientists and scholars who through visual art, performances, panels and lectures will communicate international activities concerning socio-environmental activism. The SEA Archive, open to the public, is a permanent repository of information, images and videos that will be a continuous source for upcoming projects and, in the future, will be a searchable database for scholars and researchers. The mission of SEA is to provide a vehicle through which the public can be made aware of environmental work, to provide a forum for collaboration between artists and ecologists, and to inspire them to continue the tradition of work that SEA presents. SEA occupies a permanent space in Exit Underground.

It’s Not Easy will open concurrently with Summer Mixtape Volume 1: the Get Smart edition, curated by Herb Tam, Associate Curator, and Lauren Rosati, Assistant Curator. Featuring 27 up-and-coming artists from New York, the work in Summer Mixtape Volume 1 varies greatly in theme and medium, mirroring the diverse cultures on the New York streets. The exhibition materializes the appropriated, customized and relaxed spirit of the mixtape. It also features a jukebox with mixtapes made by the artists in the exhibition and special guests.