EARTH ARCHITECTURE

Name: Xiguan Lei 習關磊

Occupation: Sculptor, Painter, Poet.

Born: Dali, China, in 1994

Location: He now lives and works in Chongqing and Dali.

Xi’s art, which is always gentle – even to the point of being hard to discern, built as it often is from organic matter and placed amongst leaves, moss, stones, and bark – is also, in fact, making a very bold and visionary proposal.

Nature and Self

Xi’s proposal is this:  that Self and Nature need not be separate entities.  He is not expressing or documenting or representing either Self or Nature.  Instead, he is exploring ways that Self and Nature relate and interpenetrate.  He is actively demonstrating that one is part of the other.  Thus, his interventions into Nature are a ‘working with’ Nature’s materials and a ‘working with’ Nature’s seasons and Nature’s cycles of time.  If we see his naked body becoming part of the work, it is not to promote the ego of the artist, or to titillate – it is to make the far bolder assertion that we, as human beings, are part of Nature’s constant motion and materiality.

“The soil is part of us.  We are part of the soil.  The bamboo forest is part of us.  We are part of the bamboo forest.  We are as vulnerable as Nature, as porous, as interdependent, as constantly changing, as borderless.”

In his artistic practice rooted in human interventions into nature, the creator Xiguan Lei becomes a subtle orchestrator, leaving vanishing trails and marks that seamlessly blend with the natural landscape yet bear the unmistakable imprint of human hands. Reminiscent of land art pioneers like Richard Long or Robert Smithson, the artist engages in a poetic dialogue with the environment, crafting ephemeral installations that challenge the boundaries between the natural and the man-made.

Geometric Concepts

Xi’s methodology is influenced by Descartes’ and Spinoza’s geometric concepts including Rectangular Setup and Extension, Einstein’s theory of space, and the mathematical ideas of Euler and Gauss. He lays out the material in a particular shape, size, volume, and manner. We can see the sharp and hard edges and minimalism everywhere in the various forms of adobes and plants, with parts of the works independent of and also participating in the whole. Xi advocates that the viewer “walk through” the landscape and perceive the deep connection with nature. Put together, the images of their works both reveal the sense of mystery and miracle, where artistic phenomena are created and disappear in the rhythm of nature.

Classic of Poetry (Shijing)

Xi gathers material on the spot including soil and plants to create his works. Surrounded by mosses, ferns, and seed plants, the hand-made adobes are arranged solidly in a structural manner. This is the most iconic series of his works whose titles are quoted from classical Chinese literature: the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu, such as It is Nice to be in the Garden, There is a Sandalwood (乐彼之园，爰有树檀) (2019), Swoop Flies that Falcon, Dense that Northern Wood (鴥彼晨风，郁彼北林) (2020), and The Appearance and Height of the Lush Plants Match Beautifully (纷緼宜修) (2020). Xi borrows these responses from ancient Chinese philosophers to the rhythms of nature, alluding to the unity of the abstract structure and figurative content in his works, and the fusion of classical Eastern aesthetics with Western spatial geometry. Legitimately, Xi calls his works “Land Art” rather than installations or sculptures. In terms of Land Art, it uses nature as the creative medium, and always emphasizes the visual form of the site-specific context, looking for an organic integration between the works and nature. One Issues from the Dark Valley and Removes to the Lofty Tree (出自幽谷，迁于乔木) (2019) , one of the series of adobes, created in 2019 and eroded back to the land during the rainy season in 2021, which is a vivid projection of the journey of human life.

Taoism and Anthropocene era

Lei’s work does not need – and probably not always meant – to be contained in a gallery or put against a wall because this would undermine his core artistic if not philosophical purpose: this is only in nature, out in the open air, where Lei’s adobes turn to be his art. This is out there that time can do his essential share, that is slowly absorbing as a sound graft Lei’s adobes as they are designed to be. Lei’s structures, given the infinite potential of adobes, can take all sort of forms: they can be seen as burial site or places of meditation – see “1120 Conversations I had with Moss and a Rock”, “I’m Walking in the Field”.

Once build or installed in nature, Lei’s structures slowly fade away, change form and aspect over time and may eventually disappear. This is a key point about Lei’s artworks: as they are made from earth, they are designed to evolve when placed on the ground, slowly and silently, and possibly completely disappear. This gives the opportunity for the observer to witness not a still artwork but an evolution, that is the exact opposite of a still life: real life. We cannot but notice the humility of Lei’s artistic approach. From a Chinese viewpoint, the reference to Taoism comes readily to the mind when trying to understand Lei’s artistic approach. Laozi Tao Te Ching, to put it in a few poor words, teaches us that all things come from a unique energy, transforms, fades away and recycle in the “logos”.

Xiguan Lei’s artistic practice holds a significant role within the contemporary environmental discourse framed by the Anthropocene. As we grapple with the profound impact of human activities on the planet, his installations and sculptures serve as poignant reflections and catalysts for conversations surrounding humanity’s relationship with the environment in this epoch. The ephemeral nature of his works mirrors the transience inherent in the Anthropocene era. The marks left by the artist’s body and other interventions evoke the impermanence of our impact on the environment, fostering a contemplation of the evolving and often precarious balance between human activity and the natural world.

Lei considers his art “a grand and silent game of building blocks”. He also told that those adobes could be considered words. That begs the question of their meaning. Just as the stones used in ancient civilization building, Lei’s adobes talk to anyone willing to listen. But the observer has to be tender ear because Lei’s art is elegant and subtle enough only to whisper. As to what it is whispering, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao”. This is how much Xiguan Lei’s art can offer: a glance at eternity.

References:

[1] https://www.xiguanlei.com/

N. Dash was born in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1980. She earned a BA from New York University in 2003 and an MFA from Columbia University, New York, in 2010. Now, Dash lives and works in New York and Taos County, New Mexico.

Dash’s work in sculpture, painting, and photography is the product of a unique, multipart creative practice that seeks to register lived experience and bodily intelligence through material. Her works, primarily made of natural items such as linen and adobe, give physical form to the intangible and the imagined.

During 2010 to 2020, N. Dash’s work started to be included in group exhibitions in many different museums. Dash also has presented solo exhibitions at White Flag Projects, Saint Louis (2013) and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2014–15).

In 2022, N. Dash has one solo exhibition in Europe at Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.), named “earth”. In this exhibition, she still uses what could be considered common materials, such as jute, mud, and string. But the earth referenced in the exhibition title is a constant, often used as a ground, which is a capstone in earth art.

Dash composes her works—which are usually Untitled—using discrete units, never disturbing the integrity of a given unit. Her works always used nature material and create without meaning which explains that “Art can be no meaning.” By looking her works in two different viewing positions, people can get very different feeling.  For example, this work named Unititled, looks like a light-blue panel is placed high up on the wall, and it is only when we move in closer that we perceive the skeins of string that are suspended from the panel. This kind of formal play has charged undertones in our time. The subjection of the natural world to the present economy of images transposes materials into essentially aesthetic contexts.

Citation

• Dieudonné. (n.d.). N. Dash. Retrieved from https://www.dieudonne.org/n-dash
• Wikipedia. (2023, October 28). N. Dash. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Dash
• Artforum. (2023). N. Dash: Event. Retrieved from https://www.artforum.com/events/n-dash-4-250499/
• Guggenheim. (n.d.). N. Dash. Retrieved from https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/n-dash

Ana Mendieta was a Cuban American performance artist, activist, sculptor, painter, and video artist. Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1948, she then moved to the United States in 1961 at the age of 12, as part of Operation Peter Pan, a U.S.-sponsored program that relocated thousands of unaccompanied Cuban children, driven by Cold War tensions and fears.

Mendieta’s sense of identity was profoundly shaped by her separation from her family, a theme that permeates her artwork. The experience of exile and the trauma of being uprooted from her homeland inspired her to explore questions of identity, spirituality, and her deep connection to the earth.

Her work reveals a spectrum of feminist concerns brought on by multiple differences and intersectionalities of race, class, gender, and sexuality within a collective discourse of feminism.

Much of Mendieta’s work incorporates earth as a medium to explore her connection to the natural world, reflecting her desire to reconnect with her homeland. In her Silueta series and across her earthworks, body art, performances, photography, and films, Mendieta reveals her bond with nature through the lenses of gender, identity, ritual, and cultural beliefs.

In the Silueta Series, Mendieta lay directly on the earth, creating silhouettes of her body. She documented these imprints using various materials, including paint, blood, and natural objects like twigs and flowers, capturing the results through photography. This process emphasized her connection to the landscape and explored themes of identity and the body within nature.

In Flowers on Body, a key piece in her Silueta series, Mendieta prompts us to consider our bodies returning to the earth. By “plugging herself into an earthen cavity,” she becomes part of the landscape, emphasizing her need for belonging (LadyKflo). In this instance, the subject can be seen as either male or female, but it only feels feminine because we are aware of the artist’s identity. This challenges a gendered perception and reminds us that everyone wants to feel connected and like they belong (LadyKflo).

Made of sand and laid on a wooden base, Nile Born is a piece of Menideta’s work that also utilizes the female body as a representation of all women universally, she stated “the way I re-establish the bonds that unite me to the universe. It is a return to the maternal source” (MoMa).

“My art is grounded on the belief in one universal energy which runs through all being and matter, all space and time.” – Ana Mendieta

References:

Ana Mendieta, The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/artists/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.

Katherine. “Flowers on Body (Silueta Series) by Ana Mendieta – LadyKflo.” LadyKflo, 10 July 2022, www.ladykflo.com/flowers-on-body-silueta-series-by-ana-mendieta.

Gabriel Chaile, born in 1985 in Tucumán, Argentina (Northern region of Argentina), describes himself as a “visual anthropologist.” He works with a variety of mediums and concepts, but notably through large earthen sculptures with forms reminiscent of distinctive ceramics of the Condorhuasi-Alamito peoples (c. 400 BCE–CE 700, Catamarca, Argentina) (BAMPFA). Chaile works through a concept he calls “the genealogy of form”, which he uses in his work to express the humanity and history of the form of these special objects, which he feels have been left out of education and museums in his life. His large earthen sculptures often anthropomorphize these distinct ceramic forms, breathing life into them from the anthropological histories or mythologies, as well as contemporary social references. He has had his work featured at the Venice Bianale 2022, Art Basel 2018, BAMPFA and more.

Chaile works with self-described “very simple, basic, and also symbolic” materials, namely clay and adobe. He states his familiarity with clay, both as a building material, and as a vital part of the kitchen and culture through clay ovens. Because of this anthropological and cultural value he sees in the kitchen and cooking,  many of his sculptural works are also clay ovens, such as the piece featured in Art Basel Cities 2018, “Portrait of Diego Nuñez” https://chertluedde.com/exhibition/art-basel-citiesgroup-exhibitioncurated-cecilia-alemanibuenos-aires6-12-september-2018-2/

Video: (Art Basel) Meet the Artists | Gabriel Chaile:

Video Transcript:

Chaile: “What I would have liked, if I hadn’t been an artist, is to be a preacher or an archeologist. There was something about being a communicator and a researcher that I liked. I define myself as a visual anthropologist because I try to understand behavior through visual elements. From that I draw conclusions, and construct theories about my works, which I then apply to the community, and our current state in this world. 

Haydar Yaghma, a humble yet prolific Iranian Poet, carved his legacy not only in verse but in the earth itself. Born into a life of labor, Yaghma spent his days shaping adobe bricks—a traditional craft in Iran’s sunbaked landscapes—while his nights were filled with the spirit of words and ideas. Despite his profession, Yaghma’s poetic talent soared; he composed over 5,000 verses that speak to the beauty of simplicity, the resilience of the working class, and the profound connection between humanity and the land. His verses, grounded in the experiences of everyday life, offer readers a raw and unfiltered view into the soul of a man who, though seemingly bound to the soil, found liberation in poetry. Haydar Yaghma remains an emblem of authenticity and passion in Persian literature, bridging the gap between the hands that labor and the mind that dreams.

Who is Christine Howard Sandoval?

Sandoval is an interdisciplinary artist working across media including sculpture, installation, performance, and public art. Her versatile practice allows her to express her conceptual interests through a variety of artistic forms.

Sandoval is currently an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Praxis in the Audain Faculty of Art at Emily Carr University (Vancouver, BC). Howard Sandoval is an enrolled member of the Chalon Nation in Bakersfield, CA. As an artist and writer engaging with timely ecological and social justice issues, Sandoval’s practice is situated within important contemporary conversations around environmentalism, indigeneity, and cultural representation.

https://www.brokenboxespodcast.com/podcast/christine-toward-sandoval

Cultural Identity and Influences:

As someone of Mexican and European American descent, Sandoval’s multifaceted cultural heritage is a core influence on her artistic vision and the themes she explores.

Her work often engages with questions of land, place, and indigenous environmental knowledge, reflecting her connection to the American Southwest region where she is based.

This cultural hybridity and commitment to representing marginalized perspectives is a key aspect of Sandoval’s artistic identity.

Education and Career:

Sandoval has formal training in the arts, holding a BFA from the University of New Mexico and an MFA from UC Davis.

Her educational background has provided her with a strong technical foundation to realize her conceptual ideas across different mediums.

Over the course of her career, Sandoval has exhibited her work internationally and received prestigious awards and grants, indicating her recognition within the contemporary art world. Howard Sandoval has been awarded numerous residencies including: UBC Okanagan, Indigenous Art Intensive program (Kelowna, BC), ICA San Diego (Encinitas, CA), Santa Fe Art Institute (Santa Fe, NM), Triangle Arts Association (New York, NY).

Examples of her work:

-Coming Home, August 21 – October 31, 2021

“In Coming Home Christine Howard Sandoval explores the history of California Indigeneity and its relationship to the archive, a place in which collective memory is stored. In California, the documentation constructed by settlers embodies a narrative of erasure but is also embedded with the seeds of Indigenous knowledge paramount to the reconstruction of Indigenous language, cultural practices, and relationships to the land. Howard Sandoval works with the archive to trace the migration of her Chalon Ohlone ancestors, telling the story of her community, her family, and her coming home to California.”

Document Mounds- Application for Enrollment with the Indians of the State of California Under The Act of May 28, 1928 (6 pages), 2021, inkjet print on vinyl, tape, adobe mud, and steel, 24H X 16W X 7D inches each.

Surveillance Mound, 2021, adobe mud, tape, steel, wood, wire, paint, 89.5H X 19W X 19D inches.

Sending Signals Into The Ground To Form Images Of What Is There To See, 2020, adobe mud on paper, 60 X 96 inches.

-The green shoot that cracks the rock, May 27 – July 16, 2022

“Howard Sandoval’s embodied work confronts the complex history and innate interconnection of land and body. As she traces a path to her ancestral home, the artist scrutinizes the narrative of erasure in early North American settler’s records and reassigns power through documentation of embedded Indigenous cultural practices. Her poetic oeuvre seeks to weave a collective awareness back to nature by means of a more cyclical and deepened relationship with land and place.

The land, as an ever-evolving being, plays a central role in Howard Sandoval’s visual language. Taking adobe as her main medium, the artist explores its inherent properties of historical, familial and ecological histories. Adobe mud requires a bodily process to mix soil (sand, silt and clay), water and often straw to form a workable, malleable and ultimately structural material. In this ongoing investigation, she emphasizes the intentionally omitted history of forced labor, land theft, and the violent genocidal actions Indigenous people experienced.”

Installation view, the green shoot that cracks the rock, parrasch heijnen gallery, LA, 2022

Niniwas- to belong here, 2022, single channel video with audio, TRT 12:23, Sound design in collaboration with Luz Fleming

Installation for the green shoot that cracks the rock, parrasch heijnen gallery, LA, 2022

Stretcher- For The Transportation of Water, 2021 adobe mud, tape, steel, wood, wire 54 x 56 x 27-1/4 inches

More  of her work: 

Mound- Angle of Integration, 2020, adobe mud and graphite on paper, 60 X 96 inches.

 Pillars- An Act of Decompression, 2020, adobe mud and graphite on paper, 60 X 96 inches. 

Arch- A Passage Formed By A Curve (detail), 2020. Photo by Scott Massey.

360 VIRTUAL TOUR:

Creative Output:

In addition to her visual art practice, Sandoval is also a published poet and essay writer.

Her literary work, like her art, delves into themes of land, place, and environmental stewardship from an indigenous-influenced perspective.

This dual commitment to both visual and written expression demonstrates Sandoval’s versatility as a creative practitioner.

References:

-https://www.chsandoval.com/home

-https://www.parraschheijnen.com/artists/christine-howard-sandoval