In this video, Jose Tence Ruiz takes us through 'The Carbon Footprint of the Stoic Heroic,' his solo exhibition at Silverlens where he explores current events that disturb and provoke him: from the horrors of genocide to the migrant crisis to the sanctimony of religious conservatives. 'The Carbon Footprint of the Stoic Heroic,' the latest solo exhibition in Jose Tence Ruiz’s 50-year career, combines the artist’s social, historical, and personal inquiries as he continues to explore past themes, embarks on new questions, and reflects on his place in an increasingly chaotic world.

Yee I-Lann’s two films ‘Oh My Dalling’ (2022) and ‘Budi’s Song’ (2023), alongside the woven mat ‘Jalan-jalan cari Jalan’ (2024), highlight the centrality of weaving within the Bajau Sama Dilaut community who live on Omadal Island in Sabah, Borneo. Featuring mats (or tikar) woven from plastic pollution found in the village’s surroundings, Yee presents material evidence of the vulnerability of rural indigenous communities to the ongoing climate crisis.

What is the purpose of your life? Bogie Ruiz hurls an existential question, in his artist walkthrough. In essence, he defines his artmaking as an intentional underscoring, a deliberate marking of the difficulties of being alive, as shaped by specific events and histories of our time.