Painting

The Ivory Tower by Environmental Humanities Hub

Scott Marsh, Australian, born 1984

The Ivory Tower, 2020

This mural by Scott Marsh was influenced by the movie “Dirty Power: Burnt Country,” which discussed the Australian bushfire crisis. In the film, it was discovered that a majority of news articles from the depicted media moguls denied climate change as a cause for the bushfires. It also showed that the Australian government approved coal mining and had regular meetings with fossil fuel corporations. The seven high-status members illustrated in the ivory tower include: the Prime Minister, former Deputy Prime Minister, as well as media and fossil fuel moguls. The Prime Minister can be seen wearing a Hawaiian shirt and lei because he was on vacation in Hawaii during the bushfire crisis. Marsh wanted to make it clear that because the destruction of these bushfires does not reach the elite, it has no importance to them. Under this tower of denial lies scenes of destruction from these bushfires. This work ties into this week’s topics of climate denial and petro-capitalism. Label by Olivia Falb

Scott Marsh's painting, "The Ivory Tower," vividly underscores the inequalities exacerbated by fires. The artwork, presented in a semi-political cartoon style, depicts the horrors associated with wildfires. It portrays animals and habitats consumed by flames and firefighters battling the inferno. Moreover, it keenly highlights the demographics of people and the natural world that are disproportionately affected by these fires. On the contrasting side of the spectrum, the painting portrays powerful individuals ensconced in their ivory tower. From this lofty vantage point, they callously burn money and appear to deride the catastrophic scene unfolding below. Their dismissive comments, such as labeling concerned individuals as "alarmists," serve as a stark representation of how some politicians deny the realities of climate change. Label by Jackson Smith

Beautiful Morning by Environmental Humanities Hub

Karen Lynn Ingalls, American

Beautiful Morning

This work incorporates the ashes from the artist’s prior works and materials after a wildfire destroyed her art studio in California. The juxtaposition of the dark material which forms the mountains and the surrounding land and the bright hues of the horizon mirror the contrast between the destruction wrought by the fires and the rebuilding of life after the destruction. The morning sunrise also implies rebirth from the ashes, a theme that the artist claims is central to her work. The use of the ash itself as a material within the work plainly establishes the idea of creating life from loss. Label by Grace Moser

Containment Series No. 64 by Environmental Humanities Hub

Samantha Fields, American, born 1972

Containment Series No. 64, 2009 Samantha Fields is an artist based out of Los Angeles and is a professor of art at California State University, Northridge. Fields presents the viewer with images of mysterious manufacture, she claims that “I Paint atmosphere with atmosphere.” She lets the atmosphere create her painting with no touch of hand, no texture of paint. She sprays coat after coat of vaporized acrylic paint onto super smooth canvas. The wildfire paintings are based on her own photographs and take hundreds of layers to create the paintings. Her work makes you feel like you are witnessing the fire and drawing the viewer into the cloud of smoke. It is almost sublime in its composition and invokes a sense of mass destruction. Label by Isabel Schreur

The Forest Brigade by Environmental Humanities Hub

Thiago Mundano, Brazilian, born 1986

The Forest Brigade, 2021

Thiago Mundano is an art activist born in São Paulo, Brazil, and is recognized internationally for his “papo reto” graffiti, or “straight to the point” pieces. In October 2021, the graffiti artist finished his vast mural (measuring about 10,000 square feet) titled The Forest Brigade. The mural was created entirely out of ash from the burned Amazon rainforest. While traveling to collect the ash, Mundano also met with firefighters and fire volunteers to hear their stories. Mundano’s mural depicts a firefighter at its center, placing the voices and stories of those who risk their lives to fight fire at the very forefront. The burning forest in the background and depictions of continuous deforestation raises the issue of wildfires across Brazil as well as how other forms of environmental degradation can lead to this worldwide destruction. Additionally, the skeleton of an animal and the discarded megaphone recall the many lives and voices we have lost to the fire. Mundano hopes his larger-than-life mural can aid the effort in protecting both environmental and universal human rights. Label by Isabel Williams