In Welcome to the Anthropocene, Dylan Beck explores the impact of human activities on Earth’s ecosystems and the resulting economic, social, and psychological effects. He considers modern priorities regarding land use with a mix of skepticism about the future and an aesthetic appreciation for built and altered landscapes.

Through sculpture and digital images—ceramic clouds dripping black oil, airplanes crashing while wind turbines turn, and roads leading nowhere—Beck addresses what it means to live in a hypermodern world. He questions the way our contemporary condition has created trust in progress and a general disregard for our relationship to natural systems. Yet Beck’s appreciation of the natural landscape yields work that is unexpectedly optimistic.

Dylan Beck received his MFA from the Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA and his BFA from Ohio University. His ceramic work has been shown extensively throughout the US including in The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA; the Leady Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO; the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts. Beck is Head of the Ceramics Department and Associate Professor of Art at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. He lives and works in Portland, OR.