The artwork that I make is a testimony to my search for a point of reconciliation; an attempt to navigate through the paradox of having an environmentalist agenda and still being an object maker and user of materials. My work embodies the tension that I feel from being both a critic and participant in the intersection of nature and culture. As an artist whose primary focus is that of reverence for the natural world, I have recognized the hypocrisy of using materials that contribute to the degradation of the earth. I now primarily use natural materials such as beeswax, pigment, and plant material that comes from non-indigenous, water-needing flora found in Tempe, Arizona. In addition I incorporate manmade materials such as used water bottles, paper towels, receipts, junk mail, and scraps of canvas that I unravel. These materials testify to the wasteful decadence of our contemporary lifestyle, and can all be re-purposed into art material. Additionally, the poetic action of my performance work allows for direct engagement with the audience. By creating unforgettable scenes in outlandish costumes, I am able to communicate the urgency of my work, while infusing it with humor and the absurd.
It is becoming increasingly more important for me to confront my dependency on a system that causes so much irreversible damage to the planet. I attempt to find ways to implicate myself, and recognize my own weakness for abundant and excessive material use in the studio and in my life. Therefore, I am in the process of seeking out materials and subject matter that are selected with environmental consciousness and awareness. In this way, I seek to both define and to refine my relationship with the environment, and encourage the audience to investigate their own relationship with the planet.
Please visit my website for more images and information, LisaCvonKoch.com.
Thank you!