Visual Arts
In a startling variety of ways, contemporary artists are exploring the relationship that our species has to its planet. We have aggregated some of this very intriguing work below. If you have suggestions for works to add to the gallery, please contact us.
Works can also be viewed in portfolio view.
2014-15 Curator: Julia Olson
Portuguese street artist Artur Bordalo, aka Bordalo II, uses mixed media to create his own interpretations of the urban landscape and environment. He often composes his works using various found items that he merges together into beautiful forms. In that sense, his street art is unique because it appears slightly three-dimensional and is presented in surprisingly tactile formations. Recently, Bordalo II created Owl Eyes, a collaged owl composed of found trash and recycled materials. The piece towers high over pedestrians in a rusty compilation of metal, tires, and paint. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=5981 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Artist Bordalo II’s mixed media mural, Owl Eyes”]
Installation artist Laurent Gongora’s Les Cascadeurs “redraws” the shape of a waterfall in France’s mountainous Massif Central region. To do this, he attached 24 geometric metal elements to the rock behind the Cascade de Vaucoux that together forms an eight-meter-high diamond that diverts the torrent. The project features horizontal bars beneath each peak that were designed for adventurous wildlife to have some respite from the falling water. “There is a small wooden perch under each roof, in case a ‘stunt bird’ would like to come and shelter,” Gongora explained. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=5969 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Artist Laurent Gongora’s Waterfall Art, Les Cascadeurs”]
Nunzio Paci is an artist based in Bologna, Italy. His gorgeous, multifaceted drawings depict the human body combined with nature and animals. Pen, pencil, and a little bit of color are used to craft these intricate images that mix ink drips with fine, precise renderings. The anatomical artworks give us a look inside the lungs and torso. There are vein-like structures that have the appearance of tree branches, and from it they meander into a fully-formed forest. There’s a surrealistic quality to Paci’s drawings, and the artist wants to push the boundaries of this subject matter. He explains, “my intention is to explore the infinite possibilities of life, in search of a balance between reality and imagination.” (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=5956 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Artist Nunzio Paci’s Human Tree Sketches”]
Sarah Sze builds her installations and intricate sculptures from the minutiae of everyday life, imbuing mundane materials with surprising significance. Combining domestic detritus and office supplies into fantastical miniatures, she builds her works, fractal-like, on an architectural scale. Often incorporating electric lights and fans, water systems, and houseplants, Sze’s installations balance whimsy with ecological themes of interconnectivity and sustainability. (source, source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=5938 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Artist Sarah Sze’s Planetarium of Information and Objects, Triple Point“]
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=5927 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Artist Hilla Shamia’s Wood and Aluminum Furniture”]