Article by MEUS

Increasingly, people are more socially responsible, and we are more aware of social causes; this also manifests itself in creative fields such as architecture, sculpture, and art; where artists use their works to convey a message of caring for the environment, not only through what they represent but also through the materials used to create these pieces of art.

Sustainability ensures the development of the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations and is one of these social aspects with which citizens are increasingly committed. Increasingly, we ensure the care of the environment, we aspire to balanced economic development and we defend social welfare from different areas. One of them is art, which can be a vehicle for expression, dissemination, and denunciation for sustainable development.

Thus, sustainable art is identified with a type of creation of a “green” or “environmental” character where the artist considers the impact that his work generates on a social and environmental level. For example, if we talk about architecture, for it to be included within sustainable art, it should seek an optimization of natural resources and building procedures, to reduce the environmental footprint and damage the ecosystem where it is built as little as possible…

But the relationship between art and sustainability is not limited only to physical support, but also, through a work of art, the protection of natural landscapes, the growth of urban environments, the consequences of industrialization, can be reflected.

Nowadays, sustainable art and design are very present among artists and their practices. As environmental awareness grows, more creatives are considering the environmental impact of their creations. These creatives are putting the environment at the forefront and thinking of ways they can work with the world they live in.

How to be sustainable in art? There are many initiatives around this idea, some artists use materials considered “waste” with which they make their works, using modern collage techniques. Other creators only use materials such as paints, brushes, canvases … that have a more sustainable origin and a less negative impact on the environment. Also in the world of education, teachers can teach their students to use materials, which would generally end up in the trash, to turn them into artistic works of undeniable quality. Because art is not in the materials, but in what is done with them, in the interpretation that the artist makes of them.

In conclusion, it should be noted that no artistic discipline can be immune to the influence of the problems, challenges, and uncertainties that a community is going through at a particular moment in history. Art should reflect that reality in his works.

Resources

Sustainability and art

10 Creatives making a difference with sustainable art and design

Why sustainability in art matters