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.