Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Contemporary Art
Abstract
This dissertation examines how contemporary artists depict the environmental consequences of climate change through visual and conceptual strategies. Through the examination of different artworks: Olafur Eliasson’s Ice Watch (2014-2018) and Your Waste of Time (2006), John Gerrard’s Western Flag (Spindletop, Texas) (2017), and Mary Mattingly’s Waterpod (2009) and Swale (2016-2020), this research analyzes how site, material choice, and civic participation create ecological awareness and model possible futures. Eliasson’s installations prompt phenomenological engagement with melting glacial ice and temporalities beyond human perception; Gerrard’s real-time simulations critique humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels through the digital presentation of a perpetual burning flag; Mattingly’s floating infrastructures center on and challenge sustainable living and the legal frameworks surrounding food and resource access. The theoretical framework draws on phenomenology, site-specificity, media theory, institutional critique, relational aesthetics, and eco-critical theory to situate these works within debates regarding the impact of contemporary art on the climate crisis. Questions surrounding how climate-focused art encourages public engagement, whether it functions purely aesthetically or evokes action, and the weight of responsibility it holds to shape shared cultural visions. Ultimately, this dissertation argues that contemporary artists are critical in climate knowledge advancement by infiltrating their practices into lived, sensory, and abstract experiences.
Recommended Citation
Ray, Isabella, "Making the Invisible Visible: How Contemporary Artists Depict the Climate Crisis Through Visual and Conceptual Strategies" (2026). MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations. 3.
https://digitalcommons.sia.edu/ma_con_art/3