The Power Plant

Toronto-based artist Vladimir Kanic’s Garden of Breath is an installation of living algae sculptures that convert a spectator’s breath and carbon pollution into oxygen in order to lessen the effects of the climate crisis. He presents these works as beacons of a decarbonized future, where our efforts to create a better world adopt collaborative public acts that are as essential as breathing.

As algae grow, they consume carbon in the atmosphere and break it down into an algal biomass. Kanic uses this dried biomass, as well as living algae cultures, as sculptural material for his work. When viewers of the work exhale, they participate in the process of capturing CO2. Each sculpture is capable of taking in tons of carbon per year, and in so doing the living algae components become thicker and deeper in colour. In turn, they produce fresh oxygen, which is then inhaled by the viewers.

Kanic’s use of living algae, as both an artistic medium and a carbon capture mechanism, embodies a commitment to humans and non-humans alike. It is a call for a symbiotic future, one that reconsiders our place within the world and the potential of interspecies collaboration. The living sculptures in Garden of Breath deepen our understanding of humanity’s role in addressing the current climate emergency, while providing glimmers of hope for lasting solutions.

Vladimir Kanic graduated from OCAD University as a recipient of a Governor General’s Academic Medal. He has received numerous sustainability and fine arts awards, and is currently preparing for his PhD in interdisciplinary arts. His living sculptures have been exhibited throughout Canada. Kanic was part of the RBC Emerging Artist 2023 program at The Power Plant.