Conversations
Find a Way to Build Love
A conversation between Rashid Johnson and Lily Cole about the environment and a vision of progress propelled by optimism
Rashid Johnson, Untitled Anxious Red, 2021 © Rashid Johnson
To mark the release of a new print edition by Rashid Johnson on Earth Day to raise money for the organizations Art for Acres and the 14+ Foundation, Johnson recently met virtually with the British actor, activist and podcast host Lily Cole, whose book ‘Who Cares Wins: Reasons for Optimism in Our Changing World’ was published last year by Penguin and Rizzoli Ex Libris. Presented here is an edited version of their talk, focusing on the power of empathy and on the role of artists and the art world in working to protect the planet.
‘If we expose people to the beauties and wonders of nature, and they fall in love with it, they are less likely to do things that are going to damage the environment. If you introduce people to people who don't look like them, who are from different backgrounds and they fall in love with them, they are considerably less likely to do things that would negatively affect people.’—Rashid Johnson
Lily Cole is the author of the book, audiobook and podcast, ‘Who Cares Wins,’ that focuses on environmental solutions in our changing world.
Rashid Johnson is an American contemporary artist and filmmaker whose work confronts the complexity of the human condition and the strenuous spaces we negotiate. Learn more about Johnson’s new edition to mark Earth Day benefiting two charities, Art to Acres and 14+ Foundation, ‘Untitled Anxious Red.’