Develop the Earth
March 26th to May 8th
FCG Pier, Forest City Gallery
Join us for opening of ‘Develop the Earth’ on Thursday, April 3rd from 5-7pm organized by Mingjie Ni, featuring work by Will Maclean, Mingjie Ni, and Amanda White.
When the shutter clicks, we capture fragments of Earth’s fleeting light; when developer solution flows, we physically etch the planet’s surface with its chemical tides.
The word “develop” becomes a provocative double exposure: it is both the alchemy of bringing images to life in the darkroom and humanity’s relentless "development" of the Earth—a process where technology carves progress into landscapes yet leaves behind toxic negatives of exploitation.
We invite viewers to gaze at the beauty of the captured moment yet also confront the darkroom runoff flowing beyond the frame. To ask: Can the camera, so adept at freezing time, become a tool to develop ecological repair? The exhibition argues yes—but only if every click of the shutter becomes a developing agent for the Earth’s tomorrow.