Artists and the Practice of Agriculture: Politics and Aesthetics of Food Sovereignty in Art since 1960

Description

Artists and the Practice of Agriculture maps out examples of artistic practices that engage with the aesthetics and politics of gathering food, growing edible and medicinal plants, and interacting with non-human collaborators. In the hands of contemporary artists, farming and foraging become forms of visual and material language that convey personal and political meanings. This book provides a critical analysis of artistic practices that model alternative food systems. It presents rich academic insights as well as 16 conversations with practicing artists. The volume addresses pressing issues, such as the interconnectedness of human and other-than-human beings, the weight of industrial agriculture, the legacy of colonialism, and the promise of place-based and embodied pedagogies. Through participatory projects, the artists discussed here reflect on the links between past histories, present challenges, and future solutions for the food sovereignty of local and networked communities. The book is an easy-to-navigate resource for readers interested in food studies, visual and material cultures, contemporary art, ecocriticism, and the environmental humanities. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Figures Framing the Field: An Introduction The Matter of Artists and the Practice of Agriculture The Visual and Material Language of Agriculture as Art: The Example of Hunger by Ghada Amer Contributions, Scope, and Disciplinary Perspective of This Book Chapters’ Overview, Author Positionality, and Writing Process Acknowledgments Notes Section I Chapter 1: Experiences of Human and Other-Than-Human Interconnection through Agriculture in Contemporary Art Preparing the Terrain: Historical Contexts and Theoretical Lens Becoming Plant: Giuseppe Penone Energy Flows and Non-Hierarchical Interactions: Bonnie Ora Sherk The Healing and Spiritual Power of Agriculture: Joseph Beuys Agricultural Knowledges and Economies: Global Tools and Gianfranco Baruchello Fluidity against Binaries: Fritz Haeg Beyond Utopia: Adaptation and Community for Kamin Lertchaiprasert and Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Artist as Family Place-Based Knowledges and Interconnectedness in Contemporary Indigenous Art: Jolene Rickard and Elizabeth James-Perry Conversation with Bonnie Ora Sherk Conversation with Fritz Haeg Conversation with Artist as Family Conversation with Jolene Rickard Notes for Section I Section II Chapter 2: Confronting Technology in the Field: Reimagining Agriculture for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Remediation Dialectics, Tautology, and Paradox: Agnes Denes DIY Technology and the Power of Agribusiness: Critical Art Ensemble Biopolitics, Biopiracy, and Sexuality: Ines Doujak The Agency of Plants: Li Shan, Natalie Doonan, and Maria Thereza Alves Climate Change Adaptation, Historical Technologies, and Gardens: The Harrisons and Nida Sinnokrot Conversation with Maria Thereza Alves Conversation with Natalie Doonan Conversation with Nida Sinnokrot Notes for Section II Section III Chapter 3: Colonial Legacies in Agriculture and Art: Labor, Memory, and Healing Extraction, Exploitation, and Colonial Trades Honoring Diversity through Plants and Food in Australia: Lauren Berkowitz Colonial Histories and Today’s African Diasporas: Binta Diaw Connecting Cuba, China, West Africa, and North America: Edible and Medicinal Plants in María Magdalena Campos-Pons’s Practice Food Security and Artistic Cross-Pollination at Yinka Shonibare’s Ecology Green Farm in Nigeria Abolition, Imagination, and Community Gardening in the United States: jackie sumell and Seitu Jones The Politics of Urban Agriculture in Hong Kong. HK FARM Conversation with Lauren Berkowitz Conversation with María Magdalena Campos-Pons Conversation with jackie sumell Conversation with Seitu Jones Notes for Section III Section IV Chapter 4: Embodied Pedagogies and Knowledge Exchange through Art Farming: Health, Nutrition, and Sense of Place Awareness and Social Equity through Food-based Pedagogy: A Theoretical Framework Hydroponic Systems and Community Care in Response to the AIDS Crisis: Haha Cycles of Learning: Sensorial and Spiritual Resilience in Tattfoo Tan’s Experience Floating Ecosystems: Mary Mattingly Civic Fruit and Public Art: Participation for Fallen Fruit and Lisa Kyung Gross Being with Bees: Juan William Chávez’s Creative Pedagogy Against Racist Histories Queer Ecologies and Cross-Species Interaction: Eli Brown Making with Fungi: Urbonas Studio and Mycelium Ever-Changing Traditions: Unlearning and Experimenting for the Scuola delle Agriculture Conversation with Haha (Richard House, Wendy Jacob, Laurie Palmer, John Ploof) Conversation with Tattfoo Tan Conversation with Lisa Kyung Gross Conversation with Juan William Chávez Conversation with Eli Brown Notes for Section IV Index