APOCALYPSO



2024

Site-specific installation at Traunkirchen Ort Railway Station,

Salt Lake Cities Programme, European Cultural Capital Bad Ischl, Austria

Dystopian scenarios are booming, whether in response to the climate crisis, potential future pandemics, technological developments, or escalating geopolitical tensions. These apocalyptic narratives resonate deeply in a world that increasingly believes we are living through the end of times. While the market for cultural representations of the apocalypse is thriving, what effect do these narratives have on how we perceive our present? Do they help us see the reality of our situation more clearly, or do they cloud it? Are they driven by fear or by a longing for something different? And perhaps most crucially, do they spur us into action, or do they leave us paralyzed? Is it even possible to imagine an end—not to the world, but to this world as we know it?

Lesniewski challenges us to confront the unsettling reality that the apocalypse is not a distant threat but already woven into the structures we inhabit. From the apocalyptic warnings of climate activists to the conspiracy-laden rhetoric of right-wing populists, the installation confronts our growing pessimism about the future, exploring the tension between despair and the everlasting hope for change.

Installation shots Yvon Luca