Eco Friendly Artists Who Will Blow Your Mind

These eco friendly artists are making important statements about the planet

By Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

Ecological Art or “Eco Art” is a contemporary form of environmental art created by global artists who are concerned about local and global environmental situations.

With various forms of pollution becoming increasingly serious, the field is growing rapidly. Hundreds of artists are working around the world to make a statement that they hope will strike the consciousnesses of us all.

What Makes Artists Eco Friendly?

So, what makes an artist eco friendly, you may ask?

Well, an eco friendly artist could make a visual statement, which forces the viewer to pay attention to something ecological that may otherwise be overlooked. Or it could be a material one, with eco friendly media employed instead of traditional oil paints, for example.

Let’s get into materials in more detail.

Art, like any form of human creation, can leave a lasting impact on the environment.  So we favour the following.

1. Biodegradable art

This is an art form that uses materials that can decompose naturally over time, returning nutrients back to the earth and leaving no harmful substances behind. This kind of art is not just about creating, but also about caring — for our planet. It’s about acknowledging that our art doesn’t have to be permanent to be powerful; it can be temporary and still leave a lasting impression.

2. Recyclable art

This means the art piece uses materials that can be reused or repurposed after their initial use. Metals, glass, and certain types of plastic fall under this category.

3. Recycled art

This refers to an art piece that uses found/recycled materials.

4. Non toxic art

By using eco-friendly art supplies, creators can make pieces of art that last a lifetime, but still have no impact on the earth. That means non-toxic paints, paint removers and thinners, and canvases or other bases for the piece.

Here, I’ve picked what I think are the top 10 eco friendly artists in the world right now, rated for their important messages, their ‘green’ media and of course, their outstanding talent.

Ecological Artists We Love

1. Bettina Werner

Born in Milan, Italy, Bettina Werner is the world-renowned “Queen of Salt.” Yep, she’s the first artist to exclusively use salt as an artistic medium. For her, salt represents knowledge and wisdom, and has a long history and intimate necessity in human life. It’s the “Fifth element” for its importance to life on Earth.

Salt was once more valuable than gold, and has even functioned as currency making a mainstay of trade all over the world. Plus, it holds an essence of cleansing and healing.

Bettina’s rise to eco-artdom began in the 1990’s, when she was discovered at the age of 25 by the Marisa del Re Gallery in America, one of the most world’s most prestigious art galleries. She currently resides between the Hamptons and the Financial District of New York City, where she is contributing to a new beginning with the cathartic power of her one of a kind salt artworks.

Werner’s striking salt crystal artworks, be they sculptures or ‘paintings,’ are vivid reflections that chronicle her incredible journey. She harnesses the beauty of nature through Sicilian salt to create unique visual commentaries on life, love, and spirituality.

2. Andy Goldsworthy

The best works of art don’t necessarily last the longest. Take the case of Andy Goldsworthy, for example. He’s one of the most renowned ‘land artists’ in the world, whose work is by nature transitory. Some of it lasts for a matter of minutes, while others may exist for years. But all are doomed to eventual disappearance.

Two of Goldsworthy’s most noteworthy installations include With Spire (2008) and Wood Line (2010), which used  natural materials found nearby, including wood from Monterey cypress and eucalyptus trees (considered an invasive species).

But wood isn’t the only natural material he employs. He has produced works using everything from icicles and mud to flower petals and stones. Because of the ephemeral nature of many of his works, they are often captured in photographs and video, such as in the 2001 documentary ‘Rivers and Tides’, which uncovers a broad range of Goldworthy’s work and his artistic process, too.

Goldsworthy’s first sculpture at the Presidio was a towering spire made from 35 cypress trunks that is located near a Monterey cypress grove. The older trees that were used in the Spire, pictured below, were removed by the National Park Service at the end of their lifecycle to make way for younger saplings.

To stabilise the sculpture, the keystone tree was anchored into a metal sleeve within a 12-foot-deep hole and surrounded with concrete. At its base, the sculpture is 15 feet in diameter. The Spire soars 90 feet above the ground, and at its base a new crop of trees have been planted. In time, the towering spire will decay, and the trees surrounding it will continue to grow until they completely obscure it.

3. Jeff Hong

The New York-based animation artist Jeff Hong is one of the most popular eco friendly artists in the world. He has completely warped Walt Disney’s motto “where dreams come true.” The illustrator imagines some of Disney’s most popular characters battling the currently grim conditions facing many in the world.

Thus, we see mermaid Ariel emerge from a filthy sea, slick with an oil spill. Cinderella lurks in a dirty alley at night with her ball gown in tatters, after an apparent assault. Mulan covers her pretty face with a mask as she walks around the smoggy streets of contemporary China. Bambi is turned into a wall trophy by a hunter. Just to mention a few!

Through these kitschy and controversial images, Mr Hong makes bold socio-ecological statements. He stresses that if we don’t safeguard the planet and each other, the fairytale will most certainly not have a happy ending. 

4. Marina DeBris

Marina’s work is rubbish – literally. This is one of those brilliant eco friendly artists who uses upcycled trash in her art to raise awareness of ocean and beach pollution.

Listed with the Women Environmental Artists Directory, the California based artist partners with various anti-pollution organisations, such as Friends of Ballona Wetlands, Ruckus Roots and the United Nations Special Assembly on Climate Change.

DeBris uses marine debris (as her name states) to create something rapidly gaining popularity in eco-chic circles: ‘trashion’. That is to say, art, jewellery, fashion and objects for the home created from used, thrown-out, found and repurposed elements.

5. Maria Medina-Schechter

“The primary goal of ecologists is to improve their understanding of life processes, interactions and the biodiversity of organisms,” she says. “As an eco artist, I pursue the same goals to improve our understanding of life processes and create adaptations so we use healthier materials for a healthier world. Eco art is important because it raises awareness of the dangers facing the planet and promotes conservation.”

We couldn’t agree more!

6. Aviva Rahmani

Eco friendly artist Aviva Rahmani’s projects involve strong collaborations. She works with an interdisciplinary community of scientists, environmentalists and other eco artists. Her conceptual artwork embraces a wide range of projects, from complete landscape restorations to museum venues. Besides just painting, she also uses sound and photography in her work.

Aviva Rahmani’s Performing Ecology, Public Art and Visuals have often connected her name to Ecofeminism. The term originated with the French writer Francoise d’Eaubonne through her book, Le Feminisme ou la Mort, in 1974.

Aviva certainly is line with the movement, which connects the exploitation and domination of women with that of the environment. It also argues that there is historical connection between women and nature.

7. Diane Burko

The painter and photographer from Brooklyn is another of our top eco friendly artists. She has always focused her work on monumental and geological phenomena, based on her ability to investigate actual locations on the ground and from the air.

Over the course of 40 years, Burko has primarily established herself as a landscape painter. But over the past decade, she has also gained recognition as a photographer. Her cinematic, aerial explorations document the current state of the natural environment.

Since 2000, Burko has studied volcanic tectonics and glacial geology, which has led her to her panoramic yet intimate imagery. Throughout her career, she has received many awards for her work, and in 2013, she  received an Artist Fellowship Grant for her Arctic Circle Expedition from the Independence Foundation.

8. Moses Ocheing and Pangea Sculptures

In 2014, Ian Unsworth created Pangea Sculptures after he came across fantastical sculptures at a roadside in Africa. Their beauty captured his heart so much, he met with the artist, Moses Ocheing, to arrange for a shipment to the UK.

Thanks to Pangea Sculptures, Ocheing’s work now reaches a wider audience. The works have also caused a ripple of positive change in Moses’ community. Today, Moses is undoubtedly one of Nairobi’s top eco friendly artists. Consequently, he has trained and guided more eco-sculptors to follow in his footsteps. Today, he has over 30 people  helping to grow his sustainable business.

Moses and his team are currently working on The Ark Collection. This is a diverse collection of animals, from elegant giraffes and life-sized elephants, to gorillas, rhinos and even a frog chorus. The team make each sculpture from recycled metal discarded by the car industry, which would otherwise go to landfill.

9. Alan Sonfist

The New York artist Alan Sonfist is another of our top eco friendly artists. His Land Art is a kind of style that links landscapes and artworks.

That said, this eclectic artist embraces painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and multimedia. He also makes green art collages that combine everyday cultural materials with elements of art and nature. By using recyclable materials, he transforms ordinary objects into art.

His narration of nature is celestial and earthly at the same time. At times, leaves may cover a canvas, or branches may stand as totems to portray a world adorned by nature. At other times, he paints using earth pigments obtained exactly from the site portrayed.

10. Aurora Robson

Canadian Aurora Robson is another of the world’s most fabulous eco friendly artists. She’s a multimedia activist who creates sculptures out of waste. Aurora has lived and worked in New York for two decades. Consequently, she’s become very conscious of the problem on waste in the metropolis.

Robson likes to turn everyday trash into environmentally-friendly works of art to remind the public how much waste is generated by we humans. Her intricate art pieces resemble abstract organisms or objects, often enhanced by the use of LEDs to create a supernatural  effect. Through her art, everyday rubbish gets transformed into a vibrant, vital object.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

Senior Features Writer at Eluxe Magazine

Based in Italy, our Features Writer Chiara is also a film critic and an award-winning artist, with a special interest in eco-art. You can see her work and learn more about her here.

Latest posts by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi (see all)

• Eco Friendly Artists Who Will Blow Your Mind - December 4, 2024
• Ethical Jewelry Gifts For All Types Of Women - November 26, 2024
• 18 Confidence Boosting Lipstick Tips & Tricks - November 20, 2024