Sustainability from the Start: Magma Art Space Joins Gallery Climate Coalition
- The Editor
- May 12
- 3 min read
Updated: May 15
At Magma Art Space, care is the core of everything we do—care for artists, for stories, for spaces, and for how we move through the world. That’s why we’re proud to share that Magma has been accepted as an Active Member of Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) for 2024, the second year in a row.
GCC is a collaborative initiative that supports visual arts organizations in reducing their climate impact. More than just an endorsement, active membership signifies a measurable commitment: to reduce carbon emissions, prioritize climate-conscious logistics, and advocate for systemic change in the art world.
To achieve Active status we had to demonstrate that our organisation had implemented environmentally responsible best practice in line with GCC guidance.
Active Membership is not a certification of sustainability nor a claim that we are doing things perfectly. We’re all doing our best to assess, report and reduce our impact, setting targets in line with science, taking any actions we can and working out other solutions as we go.
As a young, independent art platform working between Iceland and Italy, we’ve held sustainability as a core principle from the beginning—not because it’s expected, but because it’s essential. Our belief is that sustainability isn’t something to “add on” later—it should shape the way we begin. It’s not about perfection or posturing, but about intentionality and responsibility, however small the scale.
This ethos has guided many of our projects, including our last one, Arcanæ Figuræ, a solo exhibition by Telma Har presented in Volterra, Italy. The works themselves drew from personal heritage and handmade process—Har created each costume, prop, and set by hand, and brought the artworks herself, without using a separate shipment.
But sustainability also informed the exhibition’s production: local sourcing, minimal transport and digital communication.
One of the most revealing challenges emerged around the exhibition catalogue and printed materials. While printed catalogues are often beautiful and enduring, they frequently end up discarded or boxed away in forgotten storage rooms—aside from a few archival copies kept by artists and organizers.
Moreover, printing houses rarely accommodate small-batch production, making even limited runs environmentally and financially costly. For a moment, we considered not producing a catalogue at all. If printing is unsustainable for so many reasons, we asked ourselves—why do it?
But the catalogue is more than a keepsake; it’s a part of the exhibition’s identity. So instead, we chose to create a fully digital publication, that can still be downloaded and printed at any time. It includes the same level of care: curatorial texts, essays, great design and professional contributions—just without the waste. It felt like the right compromise: to honour the exhibition’s narrative, while still acting responsibly.
These are the choices that often go unnoticed, but they matter. And they eventually add up.
We know that small-scale practices like ours won’t change the climate crisis alone—but we also know that each decision we make, each shipment we avoid, each conversation we open, contributes to a cultural shift. That’s why we’re honoured to align Magma’s path with the values of the GCC—and to grow within a network of peers who believe that the future of art must also consider the future of the planet.
If you would like to know more, you can download our Carbon emission report summary for 2024 at the link below
You will find all about Gallery Climate Coalition at galleryclimatecoalition.org.
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