The aim is to define not only culture - or rather, cultures - but also the creative forms and imaginaries specific to the Anthropocene, that "Age of Man" so devastating to the environment.

The ecological age we have entered since the Industrial Revolution has sparked a multitude of reactions - ranging from despair to corrective foresight, and from exasperation to activist struggle - not to mention the climate skepticism also fueled by the ecological crisis marking the 20th and 21st centuries. We observe a lack of unity in these reactions; instead, there is a diversity of responses, moments of discouragement, and forms of commitment. On the side of climate skepticism, people persist in the lifestyle dominant since the Industrial Revolution - one based on extractivism and indifference to the consequences of overexploiting the Earth’s resources. Conversely, those who lean toward ecological commitment are rethinking their relationships with the living world - with bios - as well as with other humans. Attitudes oscillate between eco-anxiety, a desire for degrowth, and techno-solutionism, all set against calls for new models of "ecosophic" existence. In the most optimistic scenarios, this takes the form of egalitarianism, sharing, and solidarity (an "eco-life"); in the most pessimistic, it favors "rewilding" (extending to neo-shamanism) or even radical separatism (survivalism).

The cultural, artistic, intellectual, and imaginative spheres resonate with this shift, echoing and accompanying it. This seminar will focus on how this moment of crisis is being grasped, for a global shift in mindset is emerging alongside the Anthropocene. This new era demands a necessary conceptual rearmament. We are witnessing a shift toward renaturation and an awareness of fragility - embracing attentiveness, care, and generosity - extending even to calls for anti-speciesism and the proclamation of equality between humans and non-humans. A distinct body of artistic work - encompassing "eco-art," "Anthropocene art," and "eco-culture" - is emerging to give shape to this reimagined reality. As a characteristic expression of a novel era and mindset, this art gives form and symbolic substance to the climate transition we are currently experiencing.

An *agrégé* in History and a PhD in Arts and Art Sciences, as well as a writer and novelist, Paul Ardenne has authored several studies on eco-culture, most notably *Un Art écologique. Création plasticienne et anthropocène* (2018; reissued 2019 and 2021). As a curator, he has also organized several exhibitions on this theme: "Courants verts. Créer pour l’environnement" (2020, Paris), "L’anthropocène, et après ?" (2020–2021, Saint-Denis, Réunion), and "Âmes vertes. Quand l’art affronte l’anthropocène" (2025, Marseille). He also produced the radio series "L’art est l’environnement" (2023) for France Culture.

Paul Ardenne writes the "L’époque" column for Art Press magazine and the "Blockbuster" column for Archistorm magazine.