Alfredo Jaar: The End of the World

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Alfredo Jaar: The End of the World at the KINDL – Centre for Contemporary Art, Kesselhaus, September 15, 2024 – June 1, 2025, this volume is dedicated to the debut presentation of Jaar's installation of the same name. The catalogue contains an introduction by Katherine Becker alongside essays by Adam Bobbette and Nancy Princhenthal. 

The End of the World is the result of years of research supported by human geographer and political geologist Adam Bobbette, and brings attention to the struggle for resources – a critical and increasingly significant factor in international conflicts. Within the expansive Kesselhaus, the installation demands focus on a 4×4×4 cm cube composed of layered raw materials: cobalt, rare earths, copper, tin, nickel, lithium, manganese, coltan, germanium, and platinum – ten strategic metals vital to digitalization,electromobility, high-tech applications, and storage media. Despite the growing demand for these materials, their extraction is fraught with severe human rights violations and environmental destruction.

The End of the World was later included in In Minor Keys, curated by Koyo Kouoh, the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2026.