Living Artworks: Intervention in Landscape and Ecological Art

The relationship between art and nature has persisted since the earliest known artistic creations. Throughout history, nature’s manifestation in artworks followed a relatively consistent pattern, but this began to change in the 20th century. With the emergence of Land Art in the 1960s, artworks expanded into public spaces, and by the 1980s, ecological issues had become a part of artists’ agendas. Since then, discourses on ecological and environmental art have been reiterated through various works and have become integrated into the art world. From the early examples of ecological art to the present day, artworks frequently incorporate living plants. Within the scope of this research, the impact of living artworks on viewers and the reasons why artists include living plants in their creative processes have been questioned. Various interpretations and analyses have been made regarding the viewer’s thoughts during their interaction with living artworks and the lasting impact of these works. It is believed that living artworks enable urban individuals to reconnect with nature and foster environmental awareness. Additionally, the underlying messages of the works offer insights into the relationship between nature and humanity.The transformation of a living being into an art object, as well as the need for nourishment and care of such artworks, has been identified as an unexplored aspect of the research and set aside for future investigation.Within this context, Hans Haacke’s Grass Grow, Joseph Beuys’ 7000 Oaks, Lauren Berkowitz’s Manna and Sustenance, and Agnes Denes’ Living Pyramid have been identified as key examples of living artworks worthy of examination.In conducting this research, literature review and artwork analysis methods were employed.