Introduction
My lifelong concern and connection with the natural world and planetary biodiversity profoundly influences and inspires my art. This conveys the fragility of our ecosystems and calls for urgent action in response to the ongoing loss of biodiversity that threatens our survival. I have formulated my ideas, concepts and art processes around the enduring love I have for the natural world, aiming to illustrate the severe and irreversible damage caused by human mistreatment of the environment and biosphere. I use natural burnt wood, some sourced on site, some I have burnt myself, and others found in natural reserves highlighting this damage. My work specifically focuses on the indigenous forests and trees of South Africa, specifically those found in the bush-veld of the Limpopo and North West Provinces.
In his paper Contemporary Art and the Politics of Ecology, TJ Demos, the art historian, and cultural critic investigates “the intersection of art criticism, political-ecological theory, environmental activism and post-colonial globalization”
(Demos:2013) He describes political ecology as encompassing various competing proposals regarding the environment and its agency and the social configuration of these formulations. These ideas converge through a philosophical and scientific-critical lens which when combined with contemporary art expresses and illustrates an eco-aesthetic which re-examines the politics of art’s connection to nature and of the biosphere’s intricate relationship to every single aspect of our human existence.
This concept is further expressed in what Paul J. Cruzen has described as the Anthropocene epoch which is the current time in Earth’s history wherein human activity directly and negatively impacts and influences the planet’s climate and ecosystems. This demands immediate and critical re-imaging of human existence on Earth. As the pace of the environmental crisis escalates, it becomes more and more critical to change our thought processes into a ‘planet mindset’.
Wade Davis introduced the term ‘ethnosphere’ in his book The Wayfinders (2009) describing it as the sum total of all of humanities thoughts, intuitions, myths, beliefs, ideas and inspirations brought into existence by the human imagination (e.g. language, art, culture and wisdom) since the dawn of consciousness. Davis argues that just as the biosphere is critically eroded by fire, global warming, climate change and habitat loss so too is the ethnosphere, but at an even greater rate. The ethnosphere reflects a planetary consciousness essential for our survival. Some cultures advocate for the protection and preservation of nature, while others view it as a source to be exploited. This raises the question, are we conserving or are we predominantly pillaging and plundering?
Global temperatures for the first quarter of 2024 are already well above average and researchers have found that 2023 was the hottest in at least 100 000 years. We are literally burning down our house. Humans have become the primary and dominant environmental engineers of the planet, disturbing complex cycles of nature as well as placing it out of critical balance.
My work focuses on, and portrays, the way the environment and biosphere are being mistreated and disregarded by humans as if they will endure forever despite being in perilous danger.
Richard Leakey, the Kenyan anthropologist, conservationist, and political activist, campaigned extensively for responsible environmental management and biodiversity,particularly in East Africa. Inspired by his father, also an esteemed anthropologist, Leakey stated, “The past is the key to our future”. In his booksOrigins and Origins Reconsidered (1992), he offers essential insights for deepening our understanding of human origins and our connection to the natural world. Encouraging us to live sustainably and harmoniously to ensure a lasting future for all species on Earth.
