Land Art: Using the Earth for Creative Expression

Land Art is often inspired by Minimalism, Conceptual Art, and Italian Arte Povera. “Spiral Jetty” was created in 1970 by one of the founders of the Land Art movement, Robert Smithson, and may be the most famous Land Art piece ever produced. Many artists have created huge, ambitiously scaled pieces in remote or hard-to-reach places, while others have captured a specific moment in time, existing for the viewer only through photographs.

“Spiral Jetty” was created in 1970 by one of the founders of the Land Art movement, Robert Smithson, and may be the most famous Land Art piece ever produced. British-born sculptor, photographer, land artist and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy is a leading figure in the modern-day Land Art movement. His two most famous works are “Storm King Wall” and “Refuge d’Art.”

"A Line Made by Walking" is a 1967 sculpture by UK artist Sir Richard Long, who created the artwork just as the name implies: by walking across the same line over and over again. This Earth Art highlights the impact of man on the natural world in a uniquely profound way and became known as one of the first great pieces of the Land Art Movement.

One of the most beautiful interactive large-scale Land Art exhibits was envisioned by Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi, as what is now the Moerenuma Park in Sapporo, Japan. Construction of the park began in 1988 and was not opened to the public until 2005.

The "Rhythms of Life" was created by Australian visual artist Andrew Rogers. This mega-scale Land Art project commenced in 1999 and spans 51 sculptures across 16 countries on all seven continents. It has involved more than 7,500 people over 16 years.

The “Land Art - Art on the Border” installation was created by Polish Artist Jarossław Koziara with the help of young Polish and Ukrainian (Ureignian) artists as a commemoration of the Transborder Good Neighbor Days.

Italian artist Dario Gambarin is known for using only a tractor, plough, and rotating harrow to sculpt massive Land Art creations in large fields across the Italian countryside. In 2022, he used his talents to bring about more awareness for the current environmental crisis, as northern Italy suffered its worst drought in 70 years.