Art-Resource-Guide Updated

Section III: Pollution and Extraction

The Role of Environmentalist Art

• Environmentalist art has a strong tradition of documentation, showcasing:

  • Landscapes affected by pollution.

  • The impact of pollution on specific communities.

Key Historical Examples

• Documerica Project (1970s):

  • Created by the Environmental Protection Agency.

  • Over 20,000 photographs depicting American pollution and wilderness.

• W. Eugene Smith’s Project (Minamata, Japan):

  • Documented effects of mercury poisoning from a factory over three years.

Techniques and Themes in Contemporary Art

• Artists today dramatize pollution issues through varied perspectives:

  • Chris Jordan:

    • Close-up photographs of plastic waste found in decaying birds ("Midway").

  • Yao Lu:

    • Depicts garbage mounds with green netting, styled like traditional Chinese landscapes.

  • Edward Burtynsky:

    • Known for colorful images of polluted rivers; his work highlights the beauty of extreme pollution ("toxic sublime").

The Concept of the "Toxic Sublime"

• Defined as a blend of beauty and terror in exposure to pollution art.

• Reflects feelings of awe at the magnificence of deeply destructive environmental changes.

• Artists use various styles to communicate layered ecological narratives.

The Artistic Approach to Pollution

• Contemporary artists invite understanding of pollution beyond mere aesthetics.

• Their work encompasses:

  • Structural effects of pollution on society.

  • Interactions between art and ecological issues.

Selected Work: Agnes Denes (b. 1931)

Background

• Hungarian-American artist, first to espouse ecological art.

• Transitioned from poetry to visual art in New York City.

Key Works

• Rice/Tree/Burial (1968):

  • Components:

    • Planting rice as a survival gesture.

    • Wrapping trees in chains symbolizes human interference.

    • Burying a haiku to signify surrendering human thought to nature.

  • Second Iteration at Artpark (1970s):

    • Rice growth affected by toxic soil from Love Canal pollution.

    • Added a time capsule for 2979.

Major Project: Wheatfield—A Confrontation

• Location: Battery Park Landfill, Lower Manhattan (1982).

• Key Elements:

  • Planting wheat on polluted land, hybridizing local and global ecological themes.

  • Grain harvested traveled internationally to exhibit "The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger."

• Connection between land's worth and ecological concerns.

• Reduction of work to just photographic documentation after site development.

Selected Work: Noah Purifoy (1917-2004)

Background

• African-American artist born in Alabama, moved to Los Angeles.

• Co-founded Watts Towers Arts Center, illustrating the merger of art and social activism.

• Created junk art, responding to Watts Rebellion.

Key Works

• Offshore Drilling (1995):

  • Reflects on industrial pollution and social inequality.

  • Uses rusted scrap metal to evoke oil rigs, critiquing socioeconomic disparities.

Selected Work: Subhankar Banerjee (b. 1967)

Background

• Transitioned from engineering to environmental photography.

Key Works

• Caribou Migration I (2002):

  • Iconic photographs looking to protect Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

  • Challenges notions of emptiness in wildlife ecology.

• Works played central roles in political debates over drilling in ecologically sensitive areas.

Selected Work: Vik Muniz (b. 1961)

Background

• Brazilian artist known for creative use of materials in art.

Key Works

• Marat (Sebastião) (2008):

  • Recreates famous artworks using trash from garbage pickers.

  • Focuses on engaging with dispossessed individuals, blending culture and critique of waste.

  • Challenges the ethics of art and colonial representation in reinterpretation.

Section III Summary

• Documentary photography has shaped an art tradition focused on environmental damage.

• Contemporary artists reflect on pollution aesthetically while engaging with urgent political/ecological issues.

  • Noteworthy artists include Denes, Purifoy, Banerjee, and Muniz, all addressing intersectionality of art with local/global ecological crises.