Not Bad Intentions. Attempts to Coexist

Sheng-Wen Lo’s Not Bad Intentions. Attempts to Coexist examines interactions between human and nonhuman worlds. Across three works—spanning video, photography, installation, and participatory projects—Lo inspires critical discussions on coexistence, challenging anthropocentric views and revealing how ‘sustainable’ solutions can themselves be fraught with contradictions.

Among these works, Matter of Scale questions the large-scale expansion of seaweed farming: lauded as a sustainable practice in Western countries, yet already causing major ecological disturbances in East Asia.

Elsewhere, White Bear focuses on the lives of polar bears in captivity, confined to the artifice of elaborate zoo enclosures. Here, Lo probes at the ethics of captive animal programmes, which hover at the intersection of conservation and entertainment. 

Finally, Down charts Lo’s bid to create a handmade down jacket from feathers collected in the Netherlands. Testing his garment in the Arctic, Lo’s efforts establish a playful commentary on the toll of mass production and the viability of sustainable alternatives.