We live in a time when our culture is becoming more socially responsible and active. Creative fields, including fashion, architecture and fine arts, are leading the conversation about sustainability, the environment and public consciousness. Art and sustainability have led to the development of groundbreaking works that use innovative materials and media to convey powerful messages about climate change, political politics and social injustice.
What is sustainable art? This article explores these and other questions, and looks at examples of artists’ work on sustainability.
What is Sustainability?
Perceptions of sustainability vary across literature and time, making it difficult to come up with a precise definition. In our era, known as the Anthropocene, sustainability can be understood broadly as a societal goal for the healthy cohabitation of humans and other species on planet Earth.
The social shift towards more sustainable lifestyles aims to reduce the negative impact humans have on the planet in the hope of living safely on earth with other species in healthier ecosystems for many generations to come.
Sustainable art
Sustainable art can be defined in many ways, as can most aspects of the art world. Some artists are primarily concerned with expressing environmental issues, while others use sustainable materials and studio techniques in their work. In addition, sustainable art is not limited to the fine arts; it is also common in architecture and fashion, among others.
The term “sustainable art” is relatively new. But the qualities of sustainability have been practiced by many creative people from many cultures long before the term was invented for it.
We are going to discuss the development of sustainability in art into the different types of Sustainable art that are practiced today.
Earth Art
Artists have started to develop their thinking so that nature is no longer simply the subject of paintings, but becomes the actual material they used to create work.
The first warnings of climate change in the mid-20th century had only gotten more urgent into the 21st century. Many artists began to challenge the traditional gallery model in the 1970s, creating site-specific works using the land and the environment as a medium. These works were called Land Art, Earth art, or Earthworks.The most famous example of Land art is Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970).
Idea art
Conceptual art as a form of sustainable art also called information and idea art, emerged around the same time as land art. In Conceptual art, the idea behind the artwork is the most important aspect of the work.
Conceptual art is also often site-specific, though it does not necessarily use earth as material. There can be many similarities between Conceptual art and Land art, and some Land art can be considered as being conceptual.
To distinguish between land and conceptual art, one can see Land art can be seen as an artist interacting within a specific natural landscape, the end product is the most important and is predominantly sculptural and site-specific.
Important Sustainability Artists
The following five artists are exceptional examples of contemporary artists addressing these issues through Sustainable art projects and their artistic practice.
Agnes Denes (1931- Present)
Agnes Denes is a Hungarian-American artist, and pioneer in the field. Denes often pushes the boundaries of art and transforms her work into an activism. Her work is often site-specific, uses nature as a medium, and is conceptual. As a result of this work, Denes gained recognition as a leading figure in Conceptual art and Land art.
El Anatsui (1944 – Present)
El Anatsui has been transforming simple found materials into stunning assemblages. Anatsui has been embracing eco-friendly practices throughout his career. His sculptural collages, similar to paintings, become large installations. His work transcends categories and often includes scraps such as discarded bottle caps, old tin cans, driftwood, nails, railroad ties and cassava graters.
Andy Goldsworthy (1956 – Present)
Andy Goldsworthy is a prominent environmental artist. The repetitive nature of agricultural work inspires his sculptural process, which relies heavily on routine and rhythm. Goldsworthy uses natural materials such as stone, clay, flower petals and wood in his work. The bright representative of environmental art claims that his main goal is to strengthen the connection between viewers and nature.
Olafur Eliasson (1967 – Present)
Artist Olafur Eliasson’s work exemplifies how artists use sustainable materials to highlight the dangers of climate change. Eliasson is best known for his sculptural and immersive large-scale installations that engage with natural elements such as light, water, and temperature.
Maya Lin (1959 – Present)
Maya Lin is an American landscape architect and contemporary representative of sustainable art. She has also been an environmental activist throughout her career. Her work reflects systems of nature and encourages her audience to contemplate the complexity and serenity of the natural world.
