What is Sustainable Art?
Sustainable art encompasses a wide range of artistic concepts, everything from thought-provoking environmental critique to studios working with carbon neutral or green footprint objectives. Additionally, using reclaimed materials, eco-friendly methodologies, and restorative practices. The artists below delve into this realm of sustainable, conceptual, eco-art.
Contemporary Artists
Tan Zi Xi
@MessyMsXi (Tan Zi Xi) used over 20,000 pieces of single-use plastic waste to create “Plastic Ocean”. Tan displayed her first installation in 2015, at the Singapore Art Museum. In 2017, Tan recreated her second installation, in Mumbai at the Sassoon Dock Art Project, using 400kg of cleaned plastic waste. Plastic Ocean speaks to our consumer culture. It demonstrates what life is like for marine animals surrounded by plastic debris.
Bounpaul Phothyzan
Andy Goldsworthy
Jaynie Crimmins
By repurposing envelopes, catalogues and shredded paper. Jaynie Crimmins produces intricate 3D pieces via various techniques including folding, rolling and sewing. Jaynie’s work discusses personal and cultural narratives using deconstructed consumer waste.
Agnes Denes
“Tree Mountain” by Agnes Denes comprises 11,000 trees planted by 11,000 people from around the world, creating a human-made forest at Pinzio gravel pits near Ylojarvi, Finland. This artwork took 12 years from initial conception to completion in 1996. Agnes planned each tree on this remediation forest using an intricate mathematical pattern related to the golden ratio. Agnes maintains the land and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment has a 400-year protection order on this site.
To sum up, sustainable art has no boundaries. The 5 artists discussed in this post use different media and techniques to explore environmental and social issues, further highlighting our diverse relationships and interactions with the natural world.
