This essay examines ecological art as a way to show how art can inspire action and contribute to improving both the Earth and human society. I argue that philosopher L. A. Paul’s concept of the Transformative Experience can also be understood as an Aesthetic Experience, often encountered in contemporary works such as Joseph Beuys’ 7000 Oak Trees, which demonstrates how art can shape thought, decision-making, and social practice. This idea aligns with Arthur C. Danto’s philosophy that anything can be art, a view that has significantly influenced pluralism in the contemporary Art World. When art is seen as an imaginative and cognitive experience, it can lead us to reflect on urgent public issues and to envision the world in new ways. In the Anthropocene, such transformative experiences may motivate actions driven by emotion and imagination, echoing French art historian Paul Ardenne’s call in Un art écologique: Création plasticienne et Anthropocène to reconsider art’s role in humanity’s current crisis. I also draw on Taiwanese curator Lu Pei-Yi’s Art / Movement as a Public Platform： A Study of Contemporary Art and Social Movements, which highlights how social movements can function as an art form that generates transformative participation and imaginative decision-making. By inviting the public into artistic actions, ecological art offers visibility, agency, and imaginative mechanisms that may guide social and institutional change. Ultimately, art experience can serve as an imagination-based decision-making process, enabling us to envision and work toward a better world.

Authors:
Chiao-Fen Lin, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

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Posted by James Alexander Gordon

Last updated: 2023-02-23 23:45:00

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