In 2018, we saw an eclectic mix of installation inspiration, but there’s no denying that humanity’s relationship with nature was a prominent theme throughout the year. Ranging from poignant to playful, these works of art prompted viewers to engage with art from an environmental perspective.

Many of the year’s top installations dealt with ocean conservation, including Jason deCaires Taylor’s short-lived “inverse zoo,” Courtney Mattison’s ceramic coral reef, and StudioKCA’s large, litter-crafted whale. Some, like Thomas Dambo’s enchanting Troll Hunt, Ernesto Neto’s crocheted canopy, and HOTTEA’s Scope Art Show installation imaginatively showed appreciation for the natural world, while HYBYCOZO creatively captured the “patterns that appear in nature” with their laser-cut sculptures.

British sculptor Jason DeCaires Taylor uses his practice to advocate for environmentalism. Time and time again, he’s wowed the world with his aquatic Earthworks, from solitary cement figures to an entire underwater museum. In 2018, Taylor added a new piece to his ambitious oeuvre: Coralarium, a submerged sculpture gallery.

Like all of Taylor’s creations, Colararium transcends its role as a work of art. Made out of punctured pH-neutral marine steel, this colossal cube doubles as an artificial reef, inviting sea creatures to swim around the structure and explore the figures dwelling in its interior.

“It’s almost like an inverse zoo,” deCaires Taylor said. “In cities, we go into space and look at caged animals. Whereas this is almost like we’re the tourists, but we’re in the cage and the marine life can come and go and look at us. It’s almost a reversal of how we interact with wildlife.”

Unfortunately, Colararium was destroyed by the Maldivian authorities in September. They deemed the piece “offensive to Islam” due to its depiction of human forms.

Confluence (Our Changing Seas V)by Courtney Mattison

Artist Courtney Mattison sculpts ceramic installations that “promote awareness for the protection of our blue planet.” As a part of the Art in Embassies program, Mattison was commissioned to create Confluence (Our Changing Seas V) for the United States embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Like other works in Mattison’s Confluence series, this large-scale piece comments on the fragility of the coral reef. Specifically, Confluence (Our Changing Seas V) explores the effects of coral bleaching, as it portrays a cluster of corals, anemones, and sea sponges spiraling into skeletons.

By drawing attention to this issue, Mattison hopes to promote coral conservation and encourage people to seek a solution. “It is possible for coral reefs to recover even from the point of bleaching if we unite and act quickly enough to decrease the threats we impose,” she says. “Perhaps if more people appreciate Indonesia’s spectacular reefs, we will act more wholeheartedly to preserve them for future generations.”[…]

Source: Best of 2018: Top 10 Amazing Art Installations That Defined the Year