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Cheer up! It’s not the end of the world…(Curated Exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers, 2nd August to 8th September, 2012. Associated texts: Dead Already – Some thoughts on total annihilation, and The Glen of Fire -A Highland Eschaton).

Exhibition hosted by Edinburgh Printmakers as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival and the Fringe Festival, presenting the work of twelve international artists who have in some sense explored ideas about the end of the world, apocalypse, finality, the death of thought, or related eschatological concerns. The project references ideas about 2012 being the year of the apocalypse – the end of the Maya calendar, and explores different responses to this idea; whether it’s a planetary catastrophe, a spiritual transformation, the second coming, the collapse of capitalism, the new world order, or even an elaborate hoax.

The curatorial research pinpointed a group of artists, both living and dead, who represent these differing and wide-ranging responses to ideas of eschatology – including the Chapman brothers, Damien Hirst, and Andy Warhol. Some artists responded directly to the theme with new work, whilst others presented pre-existing works. The publication contains a commissioned essay by Kevin Whitesides, an apocalyptic culture researcher at the University of Edinburgh, on the cultural significance of the ‘2012 phenomenon.’ It also contains two essays by Norman Shaw - one exploring the philosophical implications of the idea of total annihilation, and another fictional narrative reflects on mythological and theological aspects of eschatology.

A historical slide show, curated by Shaw, places these works in historical and cultural context: from traditional religious themes of apocalypse, to images from movements such as Romanticism, Surrealism, and Symbolism. Shaw also gave a talk about the works in the exhibition, expanding on the themes and issues that they explore. The hardback publication was limited to an edition of 142, which was the number of days between the exhibition opening and the supposed end of the world.