Unconventionally Uplifting: Artists Who Have Broken the Mold in Environmental Art

In a world where art speaks volumes, many have utilised their influence to raise awareness about the environment and the threats they are subjected to. It’s one thing to be able to portray these themes on a regular canvas, and another to be able to incorporate science and other out-of-the-box mediums. With that, here are two female, interdisciplinary artists who are worth knowing about:

Jenny Kendler

Graduating with a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Art Institute Chicago, Jenny Kendler is considered a veteran in her field of intertwining the natural environment with art installations. Her unorthodox displays of biological creatures and phenomena through a variety of mediums aim to raise awareness about environmental issues and spark a mental and emotional connection between her audience and the subject of her artwork.

Kendler is most notably known for her piece “Music for Elephants”, in which she restores a piano with keys made of elephant ivory, one which dates back to 1921. She conveys an alarming yet melancholy message of warning about the extinction of elephants by transcribing data on the number of elephants projected to be killed from poaching in the coming years, then turning them into notes for the piano to play. Audiences are hence able to witness how such a charming tune could hide so much sorrow and grief (take a listen here!). Now, at the age of forty-one, Kendler has created a total of more than forty collections and exhibitions, and has been an *Artist-in-Residence with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for eight years.

Music for Elephants (2016)

Agnes Denes

Agnes Denes is a **land artist whose artworks and genius allowed her to become one of the biggest pioneers in environmental art, as well as earn the title of ‘The Grandmother of Environmental Art Movement’. Flourishing in the 1960s and 70s, Denes’ booming career was thanks to her great efforts in unique media exploration. Ranging from drawing highly detailed designs with metallic ink to planting thousands of wheat plants across a two-acre landfill, Denes found herself at the epicenter of attention from environmentalists, now having had four hundred and fifty exhibitions around the globe.

In 1996, Denes’ latest piece astronomically exceeded the standards of any of her previous works. Titled “Tree Mountain—a Living Time Capsule—11,000 Trees, 11,000 People, 400 Years”, this absolute grandeur of a piece consisted of constructing a thirty-eight-metre-tall man made mountain in Ylojarvi, Finland, then having 11,000 people plant 11,000 trees in an orderly spiral pattern. The objective of this high-budget project was to observe how the artificial forest would develop over the years, demonstrate the importance of cooperation in our quest to save the environment, as well as aid Denes’ home country in its Earth Summit campaign to decrease ecological stress. The piece took fourteen years to complete from drawing board to finish, but its legacy will remain for and outlive many generations to come.

Tree Mountain—a Living Time Capsule—11,000 Trees, 11,000 People, 400 Years (1992-1996)

*Artist-in-residence = An artist who is hired to supervise and produce art in collaboration with an organisation/ company.

**land artist = An artist who uses exclusively natural materials to create artistic works and structures in natural landscapes.