Born in London, England, in 1938 / Lives and works in London, England

Paul Huxley’s site-specific wall drawing reveals his artistic and environmental concerns. Developing narrative through abstraction, Huxley’s drawing evokes statistical measurements that have emerged from studies on climate change. Its abstract forms and colours signify tipping points in global warming, particularly the effect on the earth and its animals because of the human population’s rapid growth since 1950 (from 3 billion people in 1950 to 6 billion in 1999, and a projected 9 billion in 2050). Additionally, the drawing alludes to rising sea levels, thereby responding to its location overlooking the Grand Canal and Venice’s problems with rising water, which, together with rising silt levels and subsidence, are causing the city to tilt eastward up to two millimetres annually. While executing the wall drawing in situ, Huxley plans to mitigate the damage to Venice’s waters that his cadmium-laden brushes could cause upon washing. He will filter the water and dry the brushes in a way that prevents the toxic chemical, so critical to artists for giving hues their vibrancy, from leeching into the water.

www.paulhuxley.com