Scientific Journal of Motaleate-e Tatbighi-e Honar

The ecofeminist movement critiques patriarchy, militarism, industrialization, and overdevelopment, highlighting fundamental issues related to social inequality and ecological destruction. This perspective posits that the oppression of women, poor communities, people of colour, and indigenous tribes is interconnected with the historical oppression of nature. The present study is a historical comparative research, with qualitative data collected from textual sources and museum collections. This article, to understand the intellectual, aesthetic, and conceptual foundations of prominent ecofeminist artists, traces the formation of this movement, some of the most critical social upheavals that followed it, and its process of finding its way into the Artworld. After that, strategies and experiences of ten of the most important contemporary ecofeminist artists are explored and examples of their work are interpreted. Moving away from the playful indifference of some schools of the modern era, ecofeminists re-engaged art with social missions. The first generation of ecofeminists developed their work in response to significant military crises during the Cold War. They utilized planting and caring for plants as an artistic medium to combat urban sprawl, revived the memory of goddesses, and reconnected with the land. Their efforts included constructing remedial landscapes, functional art habitats, and biosculptures that link humans to the earth, organizing large-scale events, and attempting to rejuvenate damaged ecosystems and natural environments. These artists laid the foundation of ecofeminist art. The second generation of artists emerged in the new millennium, focusing on more global and contemporary concerns. They tackle the destruction of vital resources and the scars left on the earth. Their work includes building self-sufficient homes and raising awareness about the growing issue of consumer waste, warning of a dystopian future for the planet. While ecofeminist artists were primarily active in the United States and Europe from the 1970s to the 1990s, contemporary ecofeminist art has attracted followers among African and Asian artists. The unique perspective of these young artists has placed postcolonial and identity ideas alongside ecofeminist concerns, enriching and diversifying the themes of works associated with this school.