In a solo exhibition at Mercer Chance Gallery in Shoreditch, artist Michael Chance explores the intersectionality between environmentalism and feminism in his new collection, The Ruin of Man.

By reimagining patriarchal iconography such as the female nude and the suffering Christ, Chance hopes to advocate combating ‘toxic masculinity’ as a route towards restructuring mankind’s alienation from nature.

“We’re entering a period of climate change which will affect every ecosystem on the planet,” warns the artist. Chance is also concerned by what he sees as an international “resurgence of the ‘strongman’ political demagogue, and a concurrent empowering of racist, fascist and sexist ideologies”.

The Ruin of Man seeks to address these issues in tandem, presenting a contemplative and female-focused aesthetic to rebalance what Chance believes has been a hitherto male-dominated discourse.

The Ruin of Man runs from November 2–20 at Mercer Chance Gallery, Shoreditch, N1 5LG, mercerchance.co.uk