Arts of the Earth

The exhibition Arts of the Earth proposes a reinterpretation of the transformations undergone by artistic practices in recent decades, taking into account the context of an increasingly evident and overwhelming environmental crisis. Tracing out a diverse cartography across multiple disciplines, Arts of the Earth aims to present a potential inventory of tools, prototypes, and hypotheses. Rather than being “prescriptive” by dictating what should be done, thought, or felt, they hold a documentary stance displaying signs of the shift that, over the last 60 years at least, has affected aesthetic production in terms of both the materials used and awareness of them. This transformation is evidenced by a number of historical works that have been partially or fully reconstructed, recreated, or reactivated, as well as contemporary pieces that, rather than seeking to last forever, pave the way for a circular economy of art. Their existence thus hinges on preserving the ecosystems from which they originate and to which they will return.

In recent years, artists from different generations and different cultures have pondered how to work with the earth when care and repair is most needed; how to appreciate and repay it for its gifts; and how to learn from what it brings us when it seems stripped of its natural wealth. The constructive potential of soil and its components extends far beyond classic formulations of sculpture, architecture, design, and landscaping. In a concrete, familiar, and dynamic sense, soil is the scene of incessant communication and exchange, of essential synergy between species that is constantly transcended for the good of the whole. In Arts of the Earth, artworks, projects, documents, and objects of ancestral wisdom are joined by a type of museography that makes use of new, locally sourced compostable or recycled materials and an innovative approach to exhibition logistics. This approach reaffirms and expands upon the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s commitment to sustainability.