Victoria Reichelt, Acid Rain, 2022, oil on linen, 48 x 40cm. Courtesy: the artist and THIS IS NO FANTASY

Predictive Text comprises a series of works that bring together the artist’s interest in preserving objects assigned to history, while drawing attention to the current global environmental crisis. Drawn from the mid to latter decades of the 20th century, the selected vintage magazine covers and articles all warn of an emerging environmental and climate catastrophe.
These works intend both to highlight these publications as historically fascinating objects and note their value as remnants of a time when weekly news magazines were a primary means for people to receive information about national and world events. Beautifully illustrated in photo form in Time, Life and National Geographic magazines, we know their calls to action on issues like climate change and pollution went largely unheeded, as we continue to grapple with the same issues today.
The works serve as a process of documentation, preserving these objects for future generations, as well as emphasising the warnings they spoke about that can sometimes feel like they have gone ignored.