The EGO-NOMIC: LIFE IN A PLASTICOSPHERE exhibition is a selection of works from 12 artists and one art collective curated by Rushdi Anwar and Ploy Charoenpol, with the diverse catalog united under thesubject matters of air pollution and the environment. These artists include Amorn Thongpayong, Ampannee Satoh, Chanya Phinchamras, Chatchawan Tanaisri, Chiang Mai Performance Art, DDMY STUDIO, Jiranthanin Thianpatthanpol, Kamin Lertchaiprasert, Kwanphitcha Kongsaeng, Pietro Lo Casto, Thiti Jiewsakul, Ruengsak Anuwatwimol, and Worapoth Kongngern, from the collaboration between Chiang Mai Breath Council and ART for AIR. The saying by Plato goes: ‘everybody who leaves the cave sees the same light’, a phrase that refers to an imagined scenario used to demonstrate a line of logic: There are several men inside a cave, the light shining through its entrance casting the men’s shadow across the rough cavern walls. Turning towards the light, the source of the shadows, some men are able to leave their familiar surroundings to explore the brighter world outside. Some return to the cave, some are never seen again, while others yet remain at the threshold to the outside world, looking back upon the daily lives of those who remain with clearer perspectives. Did the history of ‘man’ actually begin with our invention of written language? Humanity has been locked in conflict with nature for far longer than that through migration and travel. Our advantage was secured through the designing and managing of what would later be known as communities, gradually expanding into cities. Human thought became more complex as a result of our mastery of fire, eventually resulting in an even more complex modern society, as humans developed imaginary frameworks for city management to contain themselves. As such, the movements of mankind are not only challenges issued towards nature but have grown to become a desire for control driven by the pursuit of an ideal and borderless utopia. Once all borders have faded and blended into one another, every corner of the world is made privy to the challenges of each other, with free travel anywhere. The constant migration in search of areas where nature can be more readily manipulated has evolved into the search for a place where everything is under control in the current era. Certain groups of people have reflected the end of humanity in similar ways, from The Matrix to Wall-E, as audiences are introduced to both with images of mundanity amidst a backdrop of civilizational collapse, devoid of any form of life beyond what remnants of humanity continue to struggle for survival. The shackles that bind man to nature have been severed for too long. Noble attempts have been made to reforge that connection once more, but are the things being done in the pursuit of a ‘solution’ akin to looking back upon one’s shadow on the rockface, turning back towards the light, lingering upon its entrance, or leaving the cave entirely? The EGO-NOMIC: LIFE IN A PLASTICOSPHERE exhibition is another effort by Jing Jai Gallery in discussing the issues of smog pollution and the environment by looking at the relationship between humans and nature through the culture we know as ‘cities, to establish a standpoint capable of addressing the issue head-on, while also considering our participation in being part of alleviating the issue in a sustainable and efficient manner.