Land Art, also known as earth art, is made directly in nature, utilizing designs and materials in the environment and sculpting and structuring the landscape itself into works of art. Installations exhibited in the open air and especially wide-spread works are sometimes referred to as earthworks.
It originates from the 1960s-70s’ wider conceptual art movements in the US then in the UK and it is usually exhibited by photos and maps as the earthworks themselves belong to the landscape and they erode with time. To avoid this temporary state, installations are sometimes created in the gallery, bringing in the natural materials, and recently some artists have started using canvases in order to move the works.
This form of art is both a rebellion against the commercialization of the industry and an affiliation with environmentalist movements, emphasizing the importance of the Earth. A closely related concept is Environmental Art, that addresses natural and urban environmental-related social and political issues. It often takes the form of installation.
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