“Adaptation: A Reconnected Earth,” the first on-site exhibition for 2023 of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, has opened, proposing an approach of determining the present within the realities of a changed climate, a despairing planet, and a recently renewed humanity.

Climate agencies have warned that the global temperature rise this century should be kept well below two degrees Celsius to save the planet. The exhibition features artists who speak on the realities of the disrupted climate and the daily lives amid the anxious shift between the allure of capitalism and responsible conservation.

“We must approach re-entering the planet, of peopling the world, through the modality of care and kinship,” notes MCAD director and curator Yeyey Cruz. “This proposal of having a thoughtful, kind, and considerate outlook is the consciousness we should strive for in order to survive the present and future of our own making.”

“Adaptation: A Reconnected Earth” features a diverse collection of artworks, from C-prints and papier-mâché works to video installations. They come from artists Patty Chang, Deniz Tortum and Kathryn Hamilton, Josh Kline, Agnes Denes, Lui Medina, BartolinaXixa, Issay Rodriguez, and Derek Tumala.

The exhibition is free and open to the public until July 23. Booking in advance is required via its website.

MCAD is located at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Design + Arts Campus, Dominga Street, Malate, Manila. www.mcadmanila.org.ph