555 Gallery’s Latest Exhibit Present Stark Images in ‘Global Warming’

Photos by Garth Lenz (left) and Lisa Wiltse (right) via 555Gallery.com

Currently on view at 555 Gallery are works by two photographers who bring new light to the effects of fuel production today.

In an exhibit titled “Global Warning: An Exhibition on Carbon-Based Fuel Production in the 21st Century,” images taken by Garth Lenz and Lisa Wiltse show us what’s at stake in the fight for oil and other resources.

In “The True Cost of Oil,” Lenz’s photography looks at the environmental and ecological costs of the Keystone XL Pipeline and “tar sands” mining. His sweeping landscapes are both beautiful and daunting, as they show what environments are at risk and how the hunt for oil threatens the survival of those ecosystems. The contrast between his breathtaking landscapes of nature undisturbed to those of tar sands mining sites gives us a sense of doom and gloom.

While Lenz shoots from the skies, Lisa Wiltse gets personal on the ground with “The Charcoal Kids of Ulingan.” Her work shows scenes from a Manila community where people live in highly unhealthy circumstances. The locals are exposed to dangerous emissions like carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and soot, and according to the exhibit description, estimates suggest that 60 percent of the population has tuberculosis. Children are a “vital portion of the work force” in this dangerous environment.

“In the work of each photographer, we discover both the tragedy of our existence on earth, but also the possibility and the shear wonder and tenacity of both the human and natural spirit. While each situation marches us on the path of climate change, each also demonstrates quite profoundly why we should care,” writes curator Glenn Ruga.

On view through October 4, Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays, 12-5 p.m., 555 Gallery, 555 E. 2nd St., Boston, 857-496-7234, 555gallery.com.