Artistic activism promotes three major forms of sustainability transformation

Abstract

The far-reaching use of artworks (e.g. paintings, music, films) in environmental activism fosters cognitive processes and behavioural changes. At the margins of the environmental sustainability literature, the rising importance of environmental artivism is apparent with the surge of creativity after the conditions of isolation that started in 2020. There is an overall gap in literature on how different environmental claims and transformative initiatives are voiced and promoted through artistic media. This paper fills this gap by unfolding the foci, purposes and repertoire of artivists pursuing environmental sustainability. The synthesis of literature is conducted through lexicometry and illustrated with selected references. Artivism is a growing constituent of environmental activism, articulated around three major topics. The first one is the education of audiences through performative expressions of today’s global environmental crises, especially climate change. The second one involves ecocritical reflections of environmental controversies and conflicts towards creative emancipatory practices. The third one positions art practice as an avenue for environmental improvement across different sectors (e.g. water, mining, urban) with involvement of citizens, governments, and corporate actors. The paper informs readers about the state and prospects of environmental artivism for expressing, communicating, and engaging with transformative politics.

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