On August 28th 1989 the montagne Sainte-Victoire, so dear to Paul Cézanne, was consumed by flames; the fire lasting 3 days and 3 nights ravaged over 5000 hectares (12.3 thousand acres) and became one of the worst ecological disasters in southern France during the previous century. The next day, as the the first blackened and distorted images of the mountain were shown, national and local authorities would become sharply aware and usher in a deep restructuring of fire prevention methods for the protection, equipping and organising of a department’s forests. With more than 3.7 million acres of forest, the southeast of France itself represents 10% of the forest area of France. Its afforestation rate is close to 48%, this territory is by definition one of the most exposed to fires all over Europe. With more drought in the last two years, more than 1300 fires starts have been recorded between 2016 and 2017.

The Magenta Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of TD Bank Group for their ongoing commitment to Flash Forward and to emerging artists.

© 2019 The Magenta Foundation

Website by 
The Office of Gilbert Li