“From the time of the earliest cave paintings to the present day, nature has always been a source of inspiration for artists.” This is the opening line of a new publication dedicated to art in the landscape. The Art Travel Book: 40 Iconic Outdoor Artworks considers how creatives are inspired by, and make use of, the environment to produce unique pieces. In particular, the publication spotlights art made since the 1960s, when there was a distinctive shift towards nature as more than a topic, instead becoming both canvas and material. Figures like Richard Long and Robert Smithson pioneered the Land Art Movement, joined by Nancy Holt, Walter de Maria, Michael Heizer and Dennis Oppenheim, to create installations that were one with the landscape. Today, we’re spotlighting five of our favourite pieces, featured in The Art Travel Book, that demonstrate what art can become when taken outside of the gallery walls.
Maya Lin | Storm King Wavefield
Storm King Wavefield encompasses four acres of land in New York, comprised of seven rows of undulating rolling waves of earth and grass. They range in height from 10-15 feet, making it the largest site-specific installation made by the artist. The piece is executed in the same scale as an actual set of waves, meaning that the viewer’s experience echoes that of being at sea, where an individual loses visual contact with adjacent waves. It is an environment that pulls the viewer into its interior and allows for a sense of total immersion, with the end result being a disorientating combination of land and water.
Jeff Koons | Apollo Wind Spinner
Jeff Koons is one of the most recognisable names in contemporary art, producing work that deals with popular culture and everyday objects. Some of his pieces famous works include huge metallic balloon animals and bunches of flowers. Apollo Wind Spinner is a “metaphysical dialogue between the contemporary and the ancient,” designed to be an offering to the Greek God of the Sun, Apollo. The sculpture, made out of steel and bronze, is located on the island of Hydra. The sun’s rays spin with the sea breeze, placing the installation in direct dialogue with the dramatic Greek coastline.
Ai Weiwei | Iron Tree
Ai Weiwei’s Iron Tree is made up of 99 distinct cast elements from trees in southern China, serving as a powerful metaphor for the unity of diverse cultures and communities into an integrated whole. The individual pieces are interlocked using the traditional Chinese technique of joining, and is inspired by the wood sold by street vendors in Jingdezhen, to the south of the country. No attempt is made to conceal the cuts or joins, serving as a reminder of the human effort that goes into forming a tolerant and inclusive society. It’s location outdoors means the installation with eventually rust and change.
Marc Quinn | All Of Nature Flows Through Us
In 2009, Marc Quinn commenced a new series of works based on the eye’s iris. The artist was interested in the role of sight in an increasingly digitised and visual world, but also in the actual eye as a traditional metaphor for the window to the soul. Quinn explores these themes, creating a link between modern science and traditional symbolism by creating a monumental bronze sculpture in the middle of Kistefos Museum’s waterfall. The piece leads the river through the centre of the eye, emphasising the direct link between man and nature and inviting viewers to pay closer attention to their sense.
Grayson Perry | A House for Essex
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Grayson Perry had a long-held wish to build a chapel to the history of his home county of Essex. The result, commissioned by Living Architecture, is a testament to the idea that art and architecture can lift spirits and allow visitors to experience the world through the eyes of others. The living room is lined with decorative timber panelling and Perry’s richly coloured tapestries, whilst other specially commissioned artworks include furnishings, pots and mosaic floors that celebrate the story of Julie Cope and her life in Essex. Glazed and shuttered double doors overlook the River Stour.
The Art Travel Book: 40 Iconic Outdoor Artworks is published by Lannoo Publishers: lannoopublishers.com
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. Grayson Perry, A House for Essex, 2015. Photo © Jack Hobhouse. Courtesy of Living Architecture UK.
2. Maya Lin, Storm King Wavefield, 2007-2008. Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY. © Maya Lin Studio, courtesy Pace Gallery. Photo © Jerry L. Thompson
3. Jeff Koons, Apollo Wind Spinner, 2020-2022. © Jeff Koons. Photos © Eftychia Vlachou, courtesy DESTE Foundation ProjectSpace, Slaughterhouse
4. Ai Weiwei, Iron Tree, 2013. © Ai Weiwei Studio; courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
5. Marc Quinn, All Of Nature Flows Through Us, 2011.Courtesy of Kistefos Museum, Norway. Photo © Einar Aslaksen.
6. Grayson Perry, A House for Essex, 2015. Photo © Jack Hobhouse. Courtesy of Living Architecture UK.
