Courtesy of Various Small Fires, Los Angeles/Seoul
*Eco-art Work: 11 Artists from 8 Countries
Various Small Fires proudly presents Eco-art Work: 11 Artists from 8 Countries, a group show curated by the legendary founders of the Ecological Art Movement and gallery artist Newton Harrison (b.1940) of The Harrison Studio, an esteemed collaborative endeavor with his late wife Helen Mayer Harrison (1927-2018). This exhibition brings together work by Harrison and ten additional artists: Salma Arastu, Brandon Ballengée, Barbara Benish, Nathalie Blanc, Tim Collins and Reiko Goto, Jorgge Menna Baretto, Aviva Rahmani, Åsa Sonjasdotter, Ruth Wallen, and Yangkura. The mixed-media works, paintings, sculptures, sound, videos, and research highlight the urgency of environmental injustice in our local and global communities.
With a practice spanning over 50 years, The Harrisons have transformed neighborhoods, gardens, bodies of water, and even large land masses through their artwork, research, and proposals. Their projects have influenced policies and shaped city planning. Eco-art Work: 11 Artists from 8 Countries reflect an ongoing commitment to not only do work that “benefits the ecosystem” but to inspire and influence generations of artists to continue the mindful duty of caring for the Earth we live on. The Harrisons charge their audience in their monumental catalog, the Time of the Force Majeure: “‘Travelers, let us continue the serious labor of re-enchanting the planet.” The exhibition brings together members of an extensive network of eco artists dedicated to raising awareness of the ongoing negative impacts of militarization, environmental disregard, industrialization, and pollution on the land