Art and Ecology Now

Book excerpt: The first survey of its kind to explore contemporary art that focuses on ecology From land art and earthworks in the 1960s to conceptual art of the new millennium, ecology-focused art has been a prominent genre in the art world for decades. This book offers a look into the recent explosion in contemporary art that deals directly with nature, the environment, climate change, and ecology. Organized into six thematic chapters, Art & Ecology Now moves through the various levels of artists’ engagement, from those who document and reflect on nature, to those who use the physical environment as the raw material for their art, and committed activists who set out to make art that transforms both our attitudes and our habits. More than 300 color illustrations feature the work of over 90 artists, including Allora & Calzadilla, Edward Burtynsky, Tue Greenfort, Hans Haacke, Eva Jospin, Nadav Kander, Yao Lu, David Maisel, Gustav Metzger, Svetlana Ostapovici, Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo, Berndnaut Smilde, and more.