Ecological Art

It. Arte ecologica; Fr. Art écologique; Germ. Ökologische Kunst; Span. Arte ecológica. With ecological art (or eco-art, a hyphenated form that became very common in the 2000s) is implied an artistic production carried out with awareness to solicit and sensitize the audience to reflect on ecological issues or goals. Ecological art does not necessarily have directly to do with nature, nor does it inevitably use natural materials; on the contrary, it often concerns provocative, multifaceted projects on technology, sustainability, non-human entities, hyper-objects, contemporary catastrophism and climate justice. According to the definition proposed by Timothy Morton, ecological art “includes its environment(s) in its very form” (Morton 2018: 52). Therefore, the production of eco-artists, while not necessarily assuming an activist dimension, is ipso facto “engaged” (Ardenne 2019: 56). By showing the frailty of our ecosystem, it aspires to exercise a transformative role on public opinion, mobilizing behavioral changes and emphasizing the urgency of agency for halting the contemporary ecocide.