State of Art #1 - Earth: Art of a Changing World
Last Updated on Monday, 07 December 2009 19:34 Written by Norm Tucker Monday, 30 November 2009 18:10
Art to be art, artists to be artists communicate. But what does it communicate? Is there a story? Or is there a communication disconnect. Interrupting my sabbatical, I asked these questions after looking at images from the recent Royal Academy of the Arts exhibition. Or is it inconvenient art?
"Inconvenient Art: contemporary artists weigh in on climate change" is how the Independent newspaper labeled the Royal Academy show titled "Earth Art of A Changing World". This was good enough to capture my attention. 'Inconvenient" is probably a play on words with Al Gore's movie and book, An Inconvenient Truth.
Ultimately after the marketing headlines, the art itself must speak. Does it? And does it make sense? Here are four examples, followed by a video of a 2008 piece of performance art and links.
'Heart of Darkness', 2004, is made from charcoal from a Florida wildfire - a prescribed burn that got out of control.
'Up From Under the Edge of the Earth', 2009, is composed of a medium from paper, aluminum, inkjet prints, mylar (thin polyester film), mirrors.
'Nature Party', 2008, is a mixed media work on aluminum.
'The Industrialist', 2008, on marble.
What seems clear to me is that among that Canadian, Marshall McLuhan's well known quote "the medium is the message" fits the bill here. The medium and the art message (i.e. the environment) act in tandem.
Simplicity seems also to be a message. To some extent the images reminded me of the fifteenth century bc images in the French Lascaux caves.
Finally, click on the link to Finnish artist, Antti Laitinen, performance art, Voyage. In this video, Mr. Laitinen attempts to row a self-made palm island down the Thames River. It's all at the Royal Academy. Check the links below for more images and information.