ASU Art Museum spotlights changing relationship with the planet in exhibit 'New Earthworks'

By Lauren Gilger
Published: Monday, April 18, 2022 - 11:20am
Updated: Tuesday, April 19, 2022 - 1:04pm

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drawing and driving by Steven Yazzie
Steven Yazzie
"Drawing and Driving" by Steven Yazzie. Part of the ASU Art Museum's series, "New Earthworks."

Earthworks is a genre of art that dawned in the 1960s and '70s. There were a number of artists working in various mediums who left the institutions — the galleries and the museums — and worked directly on the land. It was sometimes called Land Art or Earth Art, and while these artists weren’t necessarily environmentalists, their work shed new light on our relationship with the Earth.

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a mobile eco-studio
Desert ArtLab
A mobile ECO-STUDIO, developed by Desert ArtLab.

Today, our planet is a very different place — and the relationship that artists have to it is also different. That’s what curator Heather Lineberry tackles in her new exhibition at Arizona State University's Art Museum. It’s titled “New Earthworks,” and it features work from nine contemporary artists in everything from photography and sculpture to video and interactive experiences. The effect is expansive and impactful.

Lineberry gave a tour of the exhibit to The Show's Lauren Gilger, who spoke with her about the genre.

a still from apparitions by carolina caycedo
Carolina Caycedo
"Apariciones / Apparitions,” 2018, by Carolina Caycedo. One channel HD video, 9:30 mins. color, sound. Commissioned by the Huntington Gardens.

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