Beyond Cerulean Strokes and Concrete Slabs: An Exploration of Environmental Art

Ecofeminism in Art & Performance

Ecofeminism encompasses artworks that depict women and environmental oppressions: how they correlate and connect. These artistic creations oftentimes criticize the grip patriarchal influences have on both women and the environment. Though ecofeminism isn't necessarily a new concept, artworks under this umbrella term share traditional and contemporary stories of achievement, equality, and suffrage through an assortment of persuasive mediums. As a creative form, ecofeminist art often shares themes of gender inequality, exploitation, environmental degradation, and the interconnectedness between nature and the human body. Regarding the latter, body-earth creations and performances critique typical gender roles and the objectification of women's bodies and the environment. Ana Mendieta is one of the most influential ecofeminist performance artists, creating silhouette series depicting her own body within different landscapes. These stills communicate that the human body and the earth are one entity. Many of Mendieta's creations are immersive and ephemeral, lasting only a limited amount of time. However, their intensity has left an everlasting impression on those who've been able to witness her work in the flesh. Mendieta's silhouettes radicalize conversations surrounding ecofeminism: "[ecofeminism's] materialist turn to nature, and [ecofeminism's] concern with forms of social oppression and historical and cultural difference" (Jones 36).

Nile Born (1984) is a piece constructed of wood and sand following one of Mendieta's alluring performances. During the execution, the artist rises from the water and douses herself in mud, sand, and other natural properties. She resembles a pregnant woman constructed by nature, drawing parallels between fertility, the female body, and the earth. The preserved piece is on display and demonstrates the same themes as the performance. The sculpted figure resembles a female body, stenciled by Mendieta herself, with an embossed ring around the midsection. The pregnant figure exists as a symbol of symbiosis between humans and the natural world. The Nile sand was an extremely important medium for Mendieta, as it provided her piece with a vibrational energy that sought to weave humanity back into the natural resources provided by the river. Nile Born is a statement on the vulnerability of the human, and specifically female, body and how we will return to nature as intended. Mendieta blurs the lines between body and land; fertility and regeneration; and human and nature, exceeding traditional boundaries to document the importance of environmental and gender consciousness in artistic expression.