Join us for the opening event of 'It's only the End of the World' showcasing works of Mel Chan & Geertje Geertsma on Saturday, 8 March, 7:30 - 9:30PM.

It’s Only the End of the World

MEL CHAN & GEERTJE GEERTSMA

4.3.25 - 30.4.25

A mushroom cloud is an image we all recognize—one of force, destruction, and an unsettling reminder of the world we live in. In It’s Only the End of the World, artists Mel Chan and Geertje Geertsma explore this symbol through the lens of both natural and human-made disasters, creating works that are as visually striking as they are thought-provoking.

Chan’s paintings transform volcanic eruptions, tear gas clouds, and explosions into dreamlike visions, softening catastrophe through delicate pastel tones. Geertsma’s enamel works depict mushroom clouds rising from eruptions—at once a breathtaking natural phenomenon and a haunting echo of nuclear detonation. Her fascination with fungi, which thrive in decay, adds another layer to this tension: destruction and renewal, beauty and devastation, all existing within the same form.

At a time when the world feels increasingly volatile, these works do not offer clear answers but instead invite reflection. The exhibition does not celebrate destruction, nor does it turn away from it. Instead, it asks us to sit with the tension—to recognize how something so terrifying can also be mesmerizing, how the forces that shape our world can be both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.

Join us for the opening on Saturday, 8 March! The exhibition is on view from 4 March until 30 April at Cloud.