I’ve always been romantically attracted to a diverse variety of people, never having a specific “type.” This may have resulted from a lack of autonomy growing up, but that’s a conversation for a different book. My luck in the dating world was abysmal, to say the least until I downloaded Bumble. Surprisingly, I met my current and first boyfriend in 2022, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Our correspondence was initially reserved for text, as I was healing from an arduous surgery. As time passed and my condition improved, we planned a movie night at my house. My heart was fluttering when I opened the door to my impending date. Cold, winter air rushed in as I laid eyes on him. His head was low, only allowing me to see the yellow porch lights reflecting off of his dirty blonde hair as he ascended the stairs. Arriving at the landing, his light brown eyes meet mine, and a smile spreads across his ivory face. I was hooked. 

A few months into my relationship with Lukas, disappointing comments came from friends and family. “That wasn’t the type of guy I expected you to be with?” “It’ll be complicated to raise an interracial child.” “Are you sure you have much in common?” They thought I couldn’t read between the lines, but I am much more perceptive than I’m given credit for. The comment that hurt the most was from my grandfather, who I endearingly call Poppop. 

We were all sitting at the table for brunch. My aunt and uncle were to my left and right, while my cousins sat across from me. Poppop was at the head of the table, as always. After having met Lukas multiple times, he looked at me and said, “You know, I had a dream about you last night.” “Oh, really?” I responded, never before considering that he would dream about me. He told me that my boyfriend had knocked on the door to introduce himself, and Poppop opened the door to a tall black man, the antithesis of Lukas. My heart sank as I realized Poppop was telling me a fabricated story and trying to push his agenda.  

As our relationship progressed and I moved back to New York, we began to notice looks of disdain and judgment coming from all walks of people, but primarily black men. I was disappointed to see that there was still a stigma concerning interracial relationships, especially after seeing these types of relationships increase throughout my life. Still, I credited it to jealousy and an unevolved mind. 

I saw my interracial relationship as a reflection of my progressive and open-minded disposition, while others saw him as a threat and me as a traitor. Interracial relationships offer a lens through which different people perceive value (or lack thereof) – often shaped by history, cultural norms, and personal beliefs. Others’ reactions to my relationship are usually a mirror of their ingrained societal expectations about race, love, identity, belonging, and power, which influence whether others view the relationship as enriching or problematic. 

If you are like me, interracial relationships represent societal progress, diversity, and the rejection of racial barriers. These relationships often express value through cultural exchange, an expanded worldview, and the potential for a more inclusive society. I believe love transcends race, highlighting the value of shared human experiences over social division and tribalism. Interracial relationships combat rigid ideas about identity and allow us to appreciate better difference and unity, a value I hold high. 

If you are like Poppop, you might stigmatize interracial relationships because of historical, social, or familial beliefs, seeing them as a dilution of racial identity and fearing the loss of heritage or tradition. Suppose you are like the black men who look down on us. In that case, you probably view our relationship through the lens of historical power imbalances, seeing Lukas as someone from a historically dominant racial group. Either way, economic and social capital can influence outsiders’ perceptions of our relationship. Some may see it as social mobility, while others associate these relationships with betrayal and exploitation. How people assign value reflects broader societal structures. Investigating how cultural norms and historical legacies shape our perceptions of interracial relationships offers an opportunity to more broadly explore value—including social, personal, ethical, and monetary value—and how it informs our collective understanding of worth. 

Social value is the importance placed on relationships, community, life experiences, and social contributions – it is the opinions about what is important to us and society. These collective attitudes, which manifest as a belief of right and wrong that a society holds, are typically reflected in the laws or institutional practices as well as social contracts and norms. Our social values guide the ethical frameworks within which a society operates. Each of us has multiple values, and we place them in different positions of importance. While a value like open-mindedness might be necessary to me, preservation may be more important to you.

Personal value is subjective and deeply tied to individual beliefs, experiences, and goals. People’s values often guide their decision-making as they are the principles that motivate a person and their actions. The theory of Basic Human Values is a theory of cross-cultural psychology and universal values developed by Shalom H. Schwartz. Schwartz differentiated the Ten Basic Human Values by their underlying goals and motivations. These values include:

Self-Direction 

Universalism 

Benevolence 

Conformity 

Tradition 

Security 

Power 

Achievement 

Hedonism 

Stimulation 

Ethical values are generally understood as principles and beliefs that guide and shape a person’s decision-making and assessment of whether an action is right or wrong. These values form the core of ethical behavior and help define a person’s character, promoting social cohesion. Moral values are often derived from cultural, religious, social, and personal beliefs. While not everyone agrees on ethical values, commonly shared ones include honesty, respect, compassion, and fairness, which help us navigate moral dilemmas, maintain integrity, and foster positive relationships. 

Monetary/economic value, on the other hand, is not as subjective as social, personal, or ethical value. Instead, it is measurable, objective, and transactional. Despite their stark differences, the objective nature of monetary value interacts with the subjective nature of other value types. Even in artwork, emotional and personal value inform the economic value of a piece. 

In “Sublime Economy: On the Intersection of Art and Economics,” Arlo Klamer discusses the intersection of economic, social, and cultural values, describing economic value as often being the center of attention. Economic value focuses on the moment of exchange, determining that the price of a good is its value. However, many social values are innately ingrained in financial value, such as ambition, result-orientedness, and freedom—all values that are not necessarily monetary. These values can be more aptly grouped as social and personal values, including identity, trust, tolerance, belonging, freedom, and more. These values occupy our minds far more often than economic values.

Regarding cultural goods, the social significance greatly outweighs the economic value. Cultural items usually provide financial benefits, but much of their value lies in their social functions and their interplay with identity, pride, culture, heritage, etc. Therefore, cultural values evoke a quality that transcends economic and social aspects. When examining the different dimensions of value, we can conclude that monetary value is “instrumental at best,” focusing on other elements of value is more relevant than concentrating solely on economic value. 

THESIS QUESTION: How do individuals and groups assign and perceive social, ethical, and personal value in the context of global and societal challenges, and how do these perceptions contrast with monetary valuation in these scenarios? 

Women in society have never progressed further than they are today. They represent the most educated group in America, increasingly becoming top earners and occupying more roles in various fields than ever before. Although advancements have been achieved, women still contend with the struggle for equal rights. Recently, the female body has been viewed as a political battleground in discussions surrounding Roe v. Wade, which undermines women’s bodily autonomy. It is degrading to live in the most advanced era yet still face issues regarding rights and independence.  

Incarnate is inspired by my personal experience with stage IV endometriosis, a condition that alters your daily experiences through hormonal imbalances, chronic, sometimes debilitating pain, and threats to fertility. To prepare for my surgery, Dr. V ordered an MRI. Concurrently, I was suffering from mysterious hip pains for which I went to see a Sports medicine doctor who ordered a hip X-ray. These scans became more than just a diagnostic tool, instead transforming into symbols of broader issues in the American Healthcare system, incredibly how black women’s pain is often overlooked. 

The 24x30-inch acrylic on canvas implements a duo chromatic color palette, leaning towards white, black, and sepia tones. Incarnate comprises 2 MRI scans and one X-ray overlaid revealing layers into my body. While mimicking the colors of medical imagery, this choice also reflects the gravity of the subject matter. My IUD is highlighted in blue, a recurring theme in my series, which draws attention to value. The Blue in Incarnate highlights ongoing reproductive issues, including President Trump’s attempt to restrict IUD access, highlighting the erosion of bodily autonomy. Intentional imagery appears to reference symptoms of digestive problems in endometriosis that highlight the complexities of invisible illness. 

Additionally, Incarnate exposes the dichotomy in my medical journey. My sports medicine doctor dismissed my pain, telling me to “Avoid those positions”, while Dr. V listened, validated, and acted. The contrasts in my interactions reflect the systemic neglect of black women in healthcare while also highlighting the importance of community and advocacy. 

My artistic work focuses on the human form in terms of exhibitionism and evolution, ranging from realism to surrealism. It is an emotional journey depicting a transformation from dependence to self-sufficiency, insecurity to confidence, and from existing for others to achieving self-actualization. My work often invites reflection on self-perception, love, and trust. While Incarnate diverges in its direct engagement with social issues, it remains consistent with my overarching goal: to provoke thought, challenge beliefs, and encourage deep reflection. PIECE transforms my medical history into a statement of autonomy, visibility, and the need for systemic change. 

BELL HOOKS CRITICAL ESSAY 

A woman’s relationship with her reproductive organs is highly personal. Growing up, I never wanted kids. To be blunt, I viewed them as parasites. When speaking to my stepmom about this decision, she retorted, “That’s okay. At least you know you want to be selfish now.” Her words made me pause—why is a woman’s choice to remain child-free labeled as selfish while a man’s is not? And why is bringing a child into the world without the readiness to care for them not considered the more significant act of selfishness? I then began to question broader issues, such as why people feel they have the right to comment on the bodily choices of others. The notion that a woman’s worth is tied to motherhood is a deeply ingrained patriarchal mindset—one that, unfortunately, has also been internalized and perpetuated by women themselves.

A year after this conversation, I discovered that, due to an endometriosis diagnosis, my ability to have children is diminished. Realizing that something I didn’t want might be taken away made me desire it more. I feared I would never have the chance to choose whether I wanted kids. Years later, Roe v. Wade was overturned, leading me to worry about my reproductive choices and freedoms for entirely different reasons. 

bell hooks is an intersectional feminist who focuses on the female body as a political landscape in terms of feminist art and visual culture, beauty standards and capitalism, race, gender, and intersectionality. This chapter mainly concentrates on reproductive rights, autonomy, surveillance, and control. “Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics (2000),” by bell hooks, discusses the feminist movement as an intersectional act that includes men, women, and people of color worldwide to end sexism and oppression. Hooks encompasses reproductive rights and autonomy, such as abortion, as a fundamental aspect of that struggle, emphasizing women’s right to choose.

The issue of abortion dates back to the early 1800s, with the first recorded attempt to end it emerging around the mid-1800s. By 1873, the Comstock Act made it illegal to sell or mail contraceptives, which limited women’s reproductive control. Hooks emphasizes the significance of access to contraceptives, stating, “there could be no genuine sexual liberation for women and men without better, safer contraceptives - without the right to a safe, legal abortion” (26). Almost a century after the Comstock Act, in 1973, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision established a constitutional right to abortion. For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade served as the legal foundation for abortion rights across the country. Unfortunately, in 2022, the court overturned this precedent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, thereby ending the federal constitutional right to abortion. As Hooks articulates, “Once the feminist movement created the cultural revolution which made the use of relatively risk-free contraceptives acceptable and the right to have a safe, legal abortion possible, women simply assumed those rights would no longer be questioned” (28). Currently, the right to abortion no longer exists, and individual states determine the issue of access. 

Anti-abortion rhetoric is deeply linked to the control of women, particularly their sexuality and reproductive labor. The issue of reproductive labor relates more broadly to bodily autonomy; “If women do not have the right to choose what happens to our bodies, we risk relinquishing rights in all other areas of our lives” (29). Abortion rights then become less about policy and politics and more about power, as the right to one’s body is indicative of society’s understanding of women, either as autonomous human beings or vessels whose worth is tied to their ability to reproduce. While all women are affected, the lack of reproductive rights disproportionately impacts marginalized women, especially women of color, because “masses of poor and working class women lose access to abortion when there is no government funding available for reproductive rights health care” (28). This realization transforms reproductive rights from a gender issue into a class and racial issue as well. Poor and underprivileged women often have the least access to reproductive healthcare and, coincidentally, are the same groups who are historically denied agency over their bodies.  (write a whole next paragraph about this)

When considering reproductive rights, value is seen differently, whether you’re referencing religious, political, ethical, social, or cultural values. The dissent in spiritual values is apparent, as “it really challenged the fundamentalist thinking of Christianity” (27).  The other topics have more nuance. Some individuals prioritize personal freedom, while others prioritize the unborn’s freedom. In instances like these, patriarchal thinking often frames abortion as a moral failure instead of a fundamental right, again taking control from the woman. Ethically, some believe in the intrinsic value of all human life, while others believe that personhood develops gradually. Culturally, people differ; many view motherhood as a duty, and some view it as a private choice. (say more here) 

The attack on bodily autonomy extends beyond abortion. Removing a woman’s right to choose underscores the notion that women’s bodies exist for purposes defined by others, such as reproduction, pleasure, or exploitation. In Ain’t I a Woman? (2015), bell hooks critiques the patriarchy’s surveillance and control over the female body, examining the historical precedent for the state’s regulation of female bodies—particularly those of black women—and the media’s role in scrutinizing appearances, behavior, and reproductive choices. While reproductive rights for women are being restricted, their bodies are simultaneously being exploited for profit in various intimate industries. The same society that limits a woman’s access to abortion, birth control, or even sex education has no qualms about celebrating the commodification of women in industries like pornography, OnlyFans, and advertising, as “The passive subordinate demeanor expected of the prostitute is not unlike that demanded of all women in patriarchal society” (109). Patriarchal power relies on the duality that women are expected to be desirable yet pure, visible yet silent, sexual yet submissive. Hooks challenges this double standard, arguing that the policing of women’s bodies is crucial to maintaining patriarchal control. The widespread exploitation we observe stems from viewing the female body as a commodity, one that can be bought, sold, or consumed for profit—deprived of agency. This exploitation of women reinforces and strengthens the patriarchal system that relies on women’s labor both in the home and in industries profiting from their bodies and dictates when and how women can inhabit their bodies. The dichotomy in which women are allowed to exist labels her as “property, symbol, and ornament; she is stripped of her essential human qualities. The devalued woman becomes a different kind of object; she becomes the spittoon into which men vent their negative anti-woman feelings” (111-112). 

The media plays a crucial role in shaping perceptions of women, using the female form as both a symbol of empowerment and a target for sexual consumption by others. Numerous industries exploit sexuality as a tool to promote everything from cars to food, enabling the scrutiny of women’s bodies, often without their consent or control. Developments in social media since the early 2000s have led to increased judgment of women’s bodies. Social media stimulates widespread commentary on women’s appearances, behaviors, and choices, reflecting an entitlement to their bodies. This entitlement results from a trickle-down effect concerning women’s reproductive rights and their clothing choices. Hooks reveals that “ Mass media was the weapon used to destroy the new-found independence of women” (177). 

The entertainment industry’s hand in perpetuating the control, commodification, and surveillance of women’s bodies was exemplified at The 67th Annual Grammy Awards. On the red carpet, Grammy Award Winner Kanye West had his wife, architect and model Bianca Censori, pose completely naked. While women can express nudity through a conceptual moment, in this instance, West is using Censori’s body as an accessory – an object. West’s actions at the Grammys “relegates women to the position of property— they become for him merely an extension of the male ego. His attitude is typical of patriarchal male thinking about women” (101). Instead of being a display of advocacy for bodily autonomy, photographers rushed to take her picture, perpetuating power dynamics, exploitation, and abuse for the sake of a check – further highlighting the exploitation of the female body as a commodity. Society’s view of female bodies is designed so that the viewer does not think about what’s happening behind the camera and their agency in it. Instead, the focus stays on the woman, reducing her to a spectacle rather than a person. Turning women into a spectacle for public consumption is not new. Decades earlier, artist Yoko Ono explored similar themes of agency, vulnerability, and the audience’s complicity in her performance piece Cut Piece (1964). 

Yoko Ono Self-Pulished Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings (1964) in Tokyo. Grapefruit includes Cut Piece, a feminist performance before the feminist art movement. Ono is notorious for including audience participation in her performance pieces, usually through written instructions, thus turning the audience from passive voyeur to implicated agent. For Cut Piece, the instructions were simple; “Cut.” During the performance of this piece, Ono is onstage sitting in Seiza, a traditional Japanese sitting position, wearing her best outfit with a large pair of scissors in front of her.  

Her 1965 filmed performance of Cut Piece shows a man cutting a piece of her clothing in front of her breasts, then shear off her blouse before cutting off both bra straps, causing her to hold up the bottom of her bra for the remainder of the performance. This visceral work breaks the silence around rape and sexual violence, as it makes making the aggression, which is perpetually directed at the female body, more visible while making participants directly complicit in Ono’s exploitation. Ono uses this opportunity to explore the suppressed aggression and even sadism that is released when “permission” is granted to attack a vulnerable woman. Many of these early feminist artists were influenced by the avant-garde circles in which Ono was an important but overlooked figure. 

Marina Abramovic replayed this idea in her performance Rhythm O (1974) ten years later. Abramovic was born in Serbia and is known for her provocative works that pushed the boundaries of physical and psychological endurance. Rhythm O was first performed in Naples, Italy, where Abramovic declared herself an object, allowing the audience to use the prompts on her as they wished. The performance lasted six hours and featured 72 objects capable of bringing either pleasure or death, including perfume, lipstick, a loaded gun, and an ax. While the audience started off as timidbegan as passive, they quickly became more aggressive and violent as participants started to cut into her skin, stick a knife between her legs, and attach a paper that reads “Vile” to her body. Within three hours, her clothes were cut off; some people drank her blood, others touched her inappropriately, and one loaded a gun with a bullet and held her finger over the trigger. Abramovic shows how far people will go without the threat of accountability or freedom of choice without judgment. 

Rhythm O is part of a more extensive series of Rhythms made in the 1970s to explore the concept of control. It causes the viewer to question whether we can trust people when they’re in positions of power. Rhythm O transcends mere thoughts of control and causes us to think of the hostility women still face: the constant threat of violence, danger, and the abuse of our bodies by the powerful.  Ono and Abramovic’s work shows how gender intersects with other forms of oppression and power. By inviting the audience to participate, both artists challenge traditional power structures and raise essential questions about consent, agency, and the boundaries between performer and audience. 

While Ono and Abramovic’s performances blur the lines between observer and perpetrator, causing viewers to confront their complicity in acts of aggression, Barbara Kruger directly confronts the viewer, demanding engagement with the message rather than physical participation. Her approach is powerful in Your Body Is A Battleground (1989). Kruger uses bold text and startling imagery to frame the female body as a contested political and ideological struggle site. Kruger was born in 1945 in Newark, New Jersey, and developed her signature style in 1979. Kruger is direct in her practice, using words like “you” and “I” to bring the viewer into the piece and “cut through the grease,” implicating them in the struggle. Confronting the viewer head-on demands that we consider seeing that identities are formed within culture using representation in language and image. 

Your Body is A Battleground was produced by Kruger for the Women’s March on Washington to support reproductive freedom and protest a new wave of anti-abortion laws that chipped away at Roe v. Wade. Her words and images fuse commercials and artworks, evocative of a tabloid or magazine cover to highlight that everyone and everything is for sale. Kruger uses visual language to critique how media constructs and commodifies women’s identities. The female subject’s disembodied face is split into positive and negative exposures, suggesting a fragmented identity. The stark difference in exposures reflects women’s social division between self and societal expectation, public and private, object and agent.  Your Body is a Battleground explores feminism, personal autonomy, and anti-consumerism by reappropriating mainstream images with direct phrases to redefine them by mimicking and mocking propaganda. 

These three artworks challenge systems of control, complicity, and violence concerning gendered oppression. Ono and Abramovic expose the ethical dilemmas of participation, forcing audiences to reckon with their capacity for harm and passivity when they don’t have to be accountable. Typically, social values hinder a viewer from acting recklessly, increasing social cohesion, but the lack of accountability sheds light on the participant’s ethical values. Works like Ono’s and Abramovic’s depict how ethical considerations are weakened in group settings, especially after others have already ignored initial hesitations. Groupthink influences individuals’ perception of their ethics and morals, reflecting a psychological phenomenon where they mentally justify harmful actions by rationalizing that they are merely following implicit permission. 

Both performances induce palpable tension between participants and observers. When individuals fail to intervene in harmful situations because they assume someone else will, the bystander effect is crucial to unraveling these performances. As participants became increasingly aggressive, these performances experienced little to no intervention. Ono and Abramovic expose the fragile nature of morality, revealing that group dynamics, authority, and accountability deeply influence ethical decision-making. Occurrences like these raise the moral question: at what point does inaction become complicity? 

While each participant had the option to choose violence, not all did. These performances highlighted some people’s innate capacity for empathy. Cut Piece incorporated individuals who only took a small piece of clothing, while Rythm O had participants who interacted with care by applying makeup or flowers. Participants like these highlight ethical responsibility, showing that when faced with power, some choose not to abuse it.  

On the other hand, Kruger weaponizes mass media aesthetics to investigate how power is embedded in language and imagery, making viewers confront their role in shaping societal narratives. Your Body is Battleground challenges cultural values that reduce a woman’s worth to her reproductive abilities, beauty, or conformity to traditional roles. Kruger’s work speaks to how women are culturally valued based on appearance and marketability. Her division of the woman’s face speaks to how women are seen through conflicting lenses: beauty vs. utility, purity vs. sexuality, and subject vs. object. The use of phrases such as Your Body Is A Battleground speaks to the use of women’s bodies as symbols for ideological struggles. Society frequently reduces women to representations of morality, family values, or political agendas, erasing their lived experiences to be treated as metaphors. 

These artists confront the uncomfortable reality of power, complicity, and control, demanding the viewer to question their roles within systems of oppression. Elements of social, ethical, and cultural value are all at play to varying degrees in these artworks, forcing us to reckon with our responsibility as observers and active participants in shaping society. Beyond their varying value components, these works also exist within an art market that assigns monetary value. Cut Piece, Rhythm O, and Your Body Is a Battleground have been recorded, institutionalized, collected, and sold. The work’s financial value causes us to investigate how institutions and collectors engage with art’s radical intent. 

Yoko Ono is a world-renowned conceptual artist, reaching even the minds of those a stranger to the art world. With shows at the Guggenheim, Venice Biennale, and MoMA, one would expect her to soar at the same heights in auctions. By 2015, Yoko Ono still had a limited presence in significant auctions, only populating 53 auction results, with 20 failing to sell. For an artist of other stature, her market is seemingly non-existent. Her highest auction price is $116,500 for  Play It By Trust (in 33 Parts) (1986-87), a bronze chess set painted entirely white sold at Sotheby’s New Yorn in May 2010, surpassing the estimated $40,000-$60,000. Her lack of auction results is a product of her conceptual practice, and significant works typically don’t make it to the auction block. Ono has had more luck at auctions with sculptural works, which are more popular with collectors. 

Photographs and videos documenting Cut Piece have been sold at auctions with varying pieces; however, the limited sales data reflects the niche market for performance art documentation. Conversely, Grapefruit is Ono’s self-published collection of texts and instruction pieces, which includes Cut Piece. Reprintings of Grapefruit can be bought from the MoMA Design Store or Amazon for a little over $13. However, the First Edition, available at Locus Solus Rare Books for $18,500, has become one of the most substantial indicators of the piece’s worth. 

While it is understandable for conceptual art to garner a thin market, artists like Marina Abramovic have figured out a way to monetize their otherwise ephemeral practice. By documenting her performances, Abramovic increases the auction results of her performances. Pieces such as The Complete Performances (12 Works) (1994) sold for $365,000 at Christie’s New York in 2015. Her influence has led to a strong demand for related photographs, videos, and installations of her performance work. A 2009 installation at MoMA serves as a visual relic of Rhythm O, retreating the table from her original 1974 performance. Initially owned by the Lisson Gallery in London and exhibited at MoMA in 2010 for her retrospective, Rhythm O was estimated to sell for $150,000- GBP 200,000 from Sotheby’s. Instead, the lot sold well below expectation for GBP 52,920. A 2015 auction at Christie’s provides a different story. Photographs and documentation of Rhythm O were expected to sell for $200,000 - $300,000 but surpassed projections, realizing a price of $365,000. The piece difference between Ono and Abramovic highlights the audience’s interest in collecting documentation over performance pieces. Additionally, the difference in Abramovic auction results for the same performance shed light on the ease of collecting photographs compared to installation works, making 2D art increasingly more straightforward to buy and sell. 

Barbara Kruger surpasses both Ono and Abramovic when considering market and auction involvement. Her iconic text-based works like Untitled (Your Manias Become Science) (1981) have achieved significant auction results, selling at Christie’s in 2021 for $1,170,000 – almost a million dollars over the $500,000 - $700,000 estimate. Her recognizable style and iconic artwork indicate that Kruger has a strong market and interest in Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground), which would command substantial value at auction. Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground) is currently on view at The Board in Los Angeles, but its enduring relevance has led to its substantial display and adaptation outside of traditional institutions, indicating a societal and monetary value. For example, Kruger revisited this piece in 2022 for the cover of New York Magazine, aimed at responding to reproductive rights debates. The cultural significance of Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground) is underscored by the public’s ongoing engagement, highlighting its cultural significance and potential impact on monetary value. 

The market outcomes of Ono’s, Abramovic’s, and Kruger’s work expose the nuances and complexities of conceptual and performance-based art valuation. While these artists deal with similar subjects ranging from power to complicity, their variance in auction results reveals the market’s prioritization of tangible collectible works over ephemeral instruction-style art. The financial discourse extends beyond sales figures and beacons us to question how radical art, created to critique capitalism, becomes engulfed in the same structure it opposes. When institutions and private collectors invest in these works, they shape their legacy, determining how they are contextualized and remembered. The financial value of art is not solely an economic measure but a reflection of power, ideology, and commerce that intersect in shaping artistic significance.  

(Analysis/ synthesis) 

Part 2

The Black Experience and Value

Rights and autonomy are not only at stake for women. Unfortunately, we live in a time where multiple demographics can be reverted to a time with fewer rights, considerations, and autonomy. The current political climate instills fear in many Americans whose freedoms are becoming less certain. African Americans have a unique perspective on the looming threats to our rights. We have lived in America, from slavery to the Jim Crow Era to institutionalized racism. While we have rights, factors woven into the American identity make it nearly impossible to feel equal. In Scandal, the main character, Olivia Pope, tells her dad, “We have to be twice as good to get half.” This statement rings true for many of us raised in a black culture prioritizing perseverance and fortitude. 

Crowned in Resilience is a 24x30 acrylic piece portraying a woman, larger than life, as she gets her hair done. Surrounding her are the corporeal manifestations of her ancestors’ and peers’ hardships and resolve. Crowned in Resilience, in portrait orientation, subtly reveals a hierarchy of the black experience. The bottom of the canvas is populated by African Americans subjected to slavery, harm, and microaggressions. As we continue up the canvas, people partaking in dance and play appear, highlighting black people’s innocence, creativity, humanity, and cultural contributions. Throughout all of this, black bodies climb up the woman, depicting the resilience and tenacity of African Americans. Finally, the woman is getting her hair done with a blue pic, which highlights the value of African Americans’ contributions to society. The hairdresser holding the blue pic in the background represents the community and support that African Americans have continued to give each other since the Atlantic slave trade. The composition rejects the typical depiction of harm on black bodies, such as police brutality, and instead focuses on their ability to overcome. 

Art by black artists is, by default, expected to be about the black experience, specifically ideas of disenfranchisement, degradation, inequality, and harm. The constant barrage of politically charged art by black artists has been seen by some as a form of trauma porn, garnering attention and acclaim because of its horrific subject matter. Instead of reinforcing subhuman and degrading narratives around black people, I focus on the more liberating and uplifting side. Crowned in Resilience highlights the evolution of the black experience in America, from lack of control and oppression to self-actualization and resilience. The concept behind Crowned in Resilience relates to my overall practice, which centers on transformation and growth. Rather than depicting my growth into self-love and trust like my typical practice, Crowned in Resilience focuses on the historical progression of African American treatments and experiences, emphasizing strength over victimization.  Ta-Nehisi Coates describes this in Between the World and Me, where Black resiliency is necessary, not a choice. This concept is central to Crowned in Resilience, where each figure represents a step towards self-actualization and reclamation of identity.  Crowned in Resilience and my personal experience reflect the broader Black struggle for autonomy and recognition. 

Coates, Baldwin, Hooks, Critical Essay 

Growing up, I have always felt too black for the white kids and too white for the black kids. Many of my peers who felt similarly outgrew this mindset, either rejecting it altogether or rationalizing it for themselves. Twenty-five years later, I still struggle with this more often than I’d like to admit. I speculate that this stems from transgenerational trauma: “The generally subconscious transmission of traumatic experiences to subsequent generations… people in the next generation find themselves showing the symptoms of trauma without having experienced the trauma themselves.” My grandfather, for example, grew up in the 1940s during the Jim Crow Era. At that time, his parents wanted him to have some of the same status symbols as the white kids, which included going to college. He was the first of his siblings to attend college, which must have been a source of pride for his family. On the other hand, my mother grew up in the 1960s, nearing the end of the Jim Crow Era. In her neighborhood, there was a fence. On one side of the wall, white kids played and lived, while black kids played on the other. As a light-skinned young girl, my mom was often alienated, not allowed to play with the white or black kids because neither group felt she fit in. Hearing these stories from them turned on a light bulb in my head as I began to fit all the puzzle pieces together – realizing that feelings I’ve grappled with my whole life have troubled my family for generations. However, these struggles are not personal; they are deeply rooted in the broader history of the black experience in America, shaped by a long legacy of systemic racism, exploitation, and shifting social dynamics. Through the writings of Ta-Nehisi Coates, James Baldwin, and bell hooks, we see how Black people have persevered through immense adversity, using education, cultural production, and activism as tools for survival. Nevertheless, an individual’s social, ethical, personal, and cultural values shape how they perceive and respond to these histories of oppression. By delving into the historical contexts of the transatlantic slave trade, post-emancipation violence, Jim Crow laws, and the school-to-prison pipeline, we reveal how the unbreakable spirit of black people has fueled their resistance and underscore a history where Black existence itself was a threat to White supremacy. This is not just history; it manifests today in medical disparities, economic disenfranchisement, and the criminal justice system, reinforcing the cycle of racial control.

The exploitation of black bodies began long ago during the transatlantic slave trade during the 15th century, in which African people were stolen from their land, dehumanized, and subjected to brutal conditions during transport, in which many of them died. African people were crammed on these ships in conditions that resulted in death, disease, malnutrition, rape, and violence. The horrible conditions were amplified during enslavement, which lasted until the 19th century, when Africans were treated as property and subject to physical abuse, such as whipping, mutilation, branding, forced labor, and separation of families, to say the least. The systemic dehumanization of Africans laid the foundation for the modern racial hierarchy, profoundly embedding the idea that black people were inferior to whites.  In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates states, “the plunder of black bodies is the most profound enduring tradition in the history of this country.” Reinforcing that the systemic and physical abuse of the Transatlantic slave trade was not a stain on America but a ritual. Still, Africans were fortuitous by braiding maps into their hair for escape, including rice grains for survival, and naming their kids’ unique names for identification if they were ever reunited. 

After emancipation in 1865, Black Americans were still subjected to racial terror through violent suppression of political and economic independence. White people maintained dominance and social control through lynchings or public killings carried out by organizations like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). While lynchings were typically quick, drawn-out affairs included “speeches, food-eating, and, unfortunately, ritualistic and sadistic torture: victims were dragged behind cars, pierced with knives, burned with hot irons or blowtorches, had their fingers and toes cut off, had their eyes cut out, and were castrated -- all before being hanged or burned to death.” Although this sounds insanely gory today, families would attend with children, and photographs of these lynchings were often distributed as souvenirs. James Baldwin touches on this in The Fire Next Time, reminding us that  “The terror of being Black in America is not that you will be attacked, but that you will be denied the dignity of your humanity.” The communal aspect of lynchings is almost evocative of the Roman Empire and gladiatorial combat. Similar to how Roman crowds gathered in massive areas to watch enslaved men fight to the death, white mobs in America turned racial violence into gruesome social events to instill fear and reinforce white supremacy. Families cheered, brought picnic baskets, and even collected body parts as souvenirs as if these horrific events were community gatherings rather than brutal murders. 

The fascination with grotesque violence isn’t unique to any one era or society; instead, it reveals a darker part of human nature. Whether it’s ancient Rome, public executions in medieval Europe, or modern-day true crime obsessions, people have long been mesmerized by the spectacle of death. Lynchings, like gladiatorial combat, were more than just violence; they were a form of social control, a way to dehumanize and dominate, all while feeding the disturbing human desire to witness brutality firsthand. The racial violence of the emancipation era and social division carried into the Jim Crow era, molding the experiences of Black families for generations. 

In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin explores the psychological impact of systemic oppression on Black people. He explains that racism is just as emotional and psychological as it is physical, shaping the self-perception of Black individuals. Racial terror, including lynchings, state-sanctioned violence, and social dehumanization, hasn’t just disappeared; it has evolved into a pervasive fear passed down through generations. Coates expands on this idea by discussing how fear is ingrained in Black children from a young age. They are taught to fear almost everything: the police, their neighborhood, and making the wrong decision, which can be increasingly detrimental when resources are scarce. The fear is a rational one, grounded in the countless Black lives lost to violence. Although the names may change- Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd- the reality remains the same. Just as lynchings served as a means of control in the past, police brutality and systemic criminalization continue to reinforce the precarity of Black life in America. 

My grandfather and mother grew up in vastly different times. Yet, both navigated the ingrained racial barriers that segregation reinforced – whether it was through the pursuit of higher education as a means of upward mobility or the literal fences that separated neighborhoods and dictated where children could play. Segregation didn’t just keep black and white people separate, but it stunted our progress. Segregation laws restricted black access to healthcare, housing, education, and employment, showing that “the law is not the sanctuary of the innocent, but the fortress of the powerful” (Coates). Despite this, Black Americans created Black Wall Street, a thriving black community in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Black Wall Street was a haven to escape racism and live where business ventures and enterprises could prosper. Greenwoods District was a vibrant neighborhood, home to newspapers, churches, a library, and all the black-owned businesses. As a self-sufficient district, Black Wall Street was one of the most successful and affluent Black communities in U.S. history. It only took 18 horrible hours on May 31 and June 1, 1921, to burn this African American community to the ground. Coates touches on the destruction of Black Wall Street, reinforcing that “you have to understand that the land on which we are building our future was torn from our grasp by the violent forces of a racist society” (Coates). More than a thousand businesses were destroyed, and the death toll ranges from fifty to three hundred. The destruction of Black Wall Street is a stark reminder of how black progress is often met with violence and systemic oppression. Outside of economic barriers, segregation also had devastating effects on black Americans’ access to healthcare, usually leaving them vulnerable to medical exploitation and neglect. 

Black bodies have historically been subjected to medical experiments without consent. The forced studies and experiments illustrate how disposable we were treated in the pursuit of scientific advancements. A notorious example is the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972). 

Conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service, this study recruited 600 Black men, of whom 399 had syphilis. The men in this study were under the false promise that they would receive free healthcare. Instead, the men were given placebos and denied penicillin, which was the standard treatment as of 1947. A lot of the men died as they suffered debilitating health issues, and others unknowingly passed the disease to their families. The Tuskegee Experiment highlights medical racism and how Black bodies were treated as disposable. This experiment reinforces historical patterns of dehumanization and distrust in the healthcare system that exist today. 

Another case involves Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman from whom cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951. Her cells (known as HeLa cells) were the first to reproduce indefinitely in a lab, leading to groundbreaking medical discoveries, including the polio vaccine and cancer research. Yet, her family was never informed or compensated while pharmaceutical companies profited from her genetic material, highlighting that Black people are often seen as practical but not valuable. The exploitation of Lacks’ cells without her consent exposes a more profound history of medical racism in the United States. 

Today, medical racism is seen in numerous ways. Studies have shown that African American patients are less likely to receive adequate pain management because of the false belief and stereotype that black people have innate biological differences in terms of pain tolerance. A 2016 study published in the National Library of Medicine, titled “Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and treatment recommendations, and False Beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites” by Kelly M Hoffman, provides evidence of these disparities in medical treatment. The study found that  “physicians were more likely to underestimate the pain of black patients (47%) relative to nonbalck patients (33.5%).” The mortality rate for pregnant Black women in the U.S. is significantly higher than statistics for white women, typically because of biases in the healthcare system that lead to misdiagnosis or dismissal of symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the stark racial disparity in maternal health in its report  “Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2021”  by Donna L. Hoyert, Ph.D. The report states that “in 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black (subseqyently, Black) women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2. Times the rate for non-Hispanic White (subsequently, White women (26.6).” COVID-19 exposed racial inequalities in healthcare access, as black communities suffered higher infection and death rates, concurrently facing barriers to testing, treatment, and vaccination. The current mistrust of medical institutions can be traced back to unethical medical experiments like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks. These cases reveal how segregation and racism extend beyond economic and social barriers, infiltrating the medical field and dehumanizing Black individuals in the name of science. 

The hardships endured by Black Americans did not cease with segregation. Instead, the enduring legacy of systemic racism continues today. The wealth gap between white and Black Americans, for example, is rooted in slavery and systematic exclusion from economic opportunities, especially in homeownership and business ownership. The New Deal Era of the 1930s initiated the practice of redlining, as the federal government created agencies like the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) to address the economic crisis of the Great Depression. The HOLC evaluated various cities using “residential security maps” to assess the perceived risk of mortgage investments. Racial biases resulted in neighborhoods with a high proportion of Black residents being labeled as “hazardous” and marked with a red tint. The Federal Housing Agency insured mortgages, and its policy stipulated that properties should be in “white only” neighborhoods. Redlining barred Black communities from homeownership and building wealth. These practices led to segregation, compelling BIPOC to reside in low-income communities with lower property values and limited access to resources. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination in housing, but the legacy of redlining and discriminatory housing policies continues to affect Black Americans’ ability to build wealth. 

Slavery was abolished two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War 1963. Passed by Congress and ratified by the states in 1865, the 13th Amendment made the abolition of slavery a permanent part of the U.S. Constitution. However, the 13th Amendment only abolished slavery except as a punishment for a crime. This loophole led to the rise of black criminalization and mass incarceration. Here, “destruction is merely the superlative from of a dominion whose prerogatives include frisking, detaining, beatings, and humiliations”(Coates). The destruction manifests today as police violence, racial profiling, and the disproportionate imprisonment of BIPOC men and women. 

The War on Drugs is a prime example of laws that led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black people. In the 1980s, the Reagan Administration implemented policies to combat drug use and trafficking. By focusing on punishment instead of prevention, as seen in the mandatory minimum sentences, the War on Drugs disproportionately targeted communities of color. This approach instituted a modern form of exploitation—prison labor—profitably relying on incarcerated Black bodies. The criminal justice system has become a direct extension of the economic exploitation seen during slavery and the Jim Crow era. Coates sheds light on the nature of institutionalized racism when he writes, “the destruction of Black bodies has become so normalized that it is almost invisible” (Coates). Today, Black Americans make up 38% of the U.S. prison population but only 13% of the total U.S. population (NAACP). Baldwin reinforces the meaning of this disparity and highlights the paradox of freedom after the Civil War, noting that while Black people were “freed” legally, they remained enslaved socially and economically through policies that disproportionately targeted them. 

Just as Black individuals were systematically denied education during slavery and later forced into underfunded schools during segregation, today’s Black students face disproportionate suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement. Segregation laid the foundation for the school-to-prison pipeline by funneling Black students into underfunded schools with fewer opportunities for success. School discipline policies, such as zero-tolerance policies, are heavily relied upon in redlined communities and disproportionately affect Black students, leading to higher rates of suspension and arrest. Instead of being treated with care through mediation and counseling, students are often suspended, expelled, or arrested for minor disruptions. Underfunded schools rely heavily on School Resource Officers instead of counselors; these officers introduce children to an early sense of law enforcement, leading to increased arrests for minor behaviors. Adding metal detectors, surveillance, and police presence reinforces a prison-like environment, conditioning the kids for their futures rather than providing a supportive educational space. This direct line from inadequate schooling to incarceration reflects a continuation of the same racial caste system that Baldwin and Coates describe – one designed to limit Black potential and maintain social control. 

Property taxes primarily fund schools. Redlined neighborhoods often have lower property values, which means their schools receive less funding than those in wealthier, predominantly white areas. The landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, decided in 1954, declared that state-sponsored segregation in public schools is unconstitutional, overturning the Separate but Equal doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and serving as a cornerstone for the Civil Rights movement by paving the way for desegregation in education and other sectors. However, de facto segregation continues to persist due to redlining. Education is power. This sentiment is echoed by bell hooks in her book Teaching to Transgress, where she states, “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy” (hooks), highlighting that education is a liberatory act. Education serves as a tool of control and a means of freedom. Knowledge is essential for resistance. The American education system fails us in more ways than one. Coates tells us that “schools did not reveal truths, they concealed them. Perhaps they must be burned away so that the heart of this thing might be known” (Coates). He critiques the American education system, which historically erases the truth of Black suffering and resistance, failing to prepare Black students for a world structured against them. Despite systemic barriers, Black women are now the most educated demographic in the U.S., demonstrating the power of self-education, HBCUs, and community learning spaces as an act of defiance. 

White people aimed to maintain power through access to homeownership, education, healthcare, mass incarceration, and voter suppression. Voter suppression was initially justified by literacy tests and poll taxes in the 1800s, but it has lasting effects today in more subtle forms of disenfranchisement. Strict voter ID laws have now replaced literacy tests, while gerrymandering and felony disenfranchisement disproportionately impact Black voters. In 2018, 1 in 13 Black adults was disenfranchised due to felony voting laws, compared to 1 in 56 non-Black voters. In Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin highlights how black political power has always been seen as a threat: “It is not a racial problem, it is a problem of whether or not youre willing to be civilized” (Baldwin). hooks reinforces this notion by sharing that political resistance is key to breaking cycles of domination. His words reflect that today’s voter suppression tactics seek to dilute Black political power. 

Today, a person’s opinion on historical racism is heavily influenced by their social values. Some believe that it’s most beneficial to have a colorblind stance regarding race, believing that ignoring race is the key to equality. At the same time, activists argue that acknowledgment and confrontation of systemic racism are necessary for change. However, this can lead to the dismissal and invalidation of the systemic nature of racism. Those who haven’t experienced institutional racism will have difficulty understanding its impact as “the paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated” (Baldwin). Oftentimes, white people who have been conditioned to see the world through a colorblind lens disregard the depth of racism’s impact on black communities. When you are privileged by systems of oppression as white people are, you have the benefit of seeing racism as a thing of the past. It takes an act of becoming conscious to understand racism’s impact. Discussions of privilege and allyship have become more mainstream. However, backlash against concepts like critical race theory reveals deep resistance to these changing values. Hooks emphasises the idea of consciousness by advocating for the importance of consciousness-raising and self-awareness in combating internalized racism. On a more singular level, our values shape how we respond to stories of black suffering. While some opt for indifference or colorblindness, those who choose empathy often desire to correct historical wrongs. 

Ethical values, on the other hand, mold how we view these systemic injustices. Those with altruistic qualities will be more inclined to engage in antiracist work. Those with a conservative mindframe will value security, not just in their personal life, but in society and relationships as well, leading them to resist confronting uncomfortable truths about the history of the nation. Coates explores how America’s ethical framework is built on the destruction of Black bodies, “what is it that America has done to Balck people, and how can it begin to reckon with its actions?” (Coates). White Americans, especially those in denial, view racism through a framework of individual oral failings, which subsequently leads to the denial of structural racism. Arguably, one of the most influential modes of value is cultural. Cultural values shape the narratives of history, especially in predominantly white societies, often erasing or misrepresenting the experiences of Balck people. Narratives about black inferiority or black criminality continue to perpetuate stereotypes that permeate society and affect public policies. Hooks writes, “the struggle to end domination is not just a Black struggle, it is the struggle for justice for all” (hooks). Movements like Black Lives Matter have redefined activism, using social media and global networks to challenge oppressive systems. Our cultural values are crucial in understanding and confronting the legacy of slavery and racial segregation. 

Some argue that systemic racism is no longer a defining component of America, believing that Black political leaders, such as Barack Obama, economic success stories, like Tyler Perry, and legal protections against discrimination are proof of this progress. Deniers often claim that personal responsibility overshadows structural barriers. Unfortunately, this perspective overlooks the ingrained disparities in wealth, healthcare, education, and criminal justice. This perspective also forgets that legal protections do not automatically translate to societal equity; the lack of enforcement and cultural shifts cause these protections to remain symbolic rather than transformative. 

Despite centuries of oppression, fighting for our rights, and often being met with indifference, the Black community in America has thrived. From the abolitionist movement to civil rights activism, the unbreakable spirit of Black people has been central to their survival and success. We have exuded Black excellence in fields ranging from education to business to politics despite being excluded from the soft education, political power, and economic participation. Black women, in particular, have emerged as the most educated demographic in the U.S. As Baldwin puts it, “the most angerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose” (Baldwin). Here Baldwin touches on the determination and vigor of the black community, representing a resilient counter-narrative to the history of economic disenfranchisement. By becoming self-sufficient in so many different spheres, black people could resist racial and gender oppression. Black Americans have shaped global culture and challenged systemic oppression through art, music, literature, and fashion. Art, in the black community, is central to understanding the truth of black existence, transcending oppression through creative expression. Genres like the Blues were birthed from African American communities in the Deep South during the late 19th century  – “The music was not a retreat, but an advance, a means of confronting th world as it is” (Coates). The blues emerged following the Civil War, drawing from African American music traditions like work songs, field hollers, spirituals, and shouts, as formerly ensalved people navigated the new world of freedom and hardship. 

Despite the ongoing impact of historical oppression—whether through economic exploitation, mass incarceration, or political disenfranchisement—Black Americans continue to exhibit resilience, creativity, and resistance. Art has long served as a powerful tool of resistance, reflection, and reclamation for Black Americans, allowing them to assert agency in the face of systemic oppression. The works of Coates, Baldwin, and hooks provide critical insights into how these systems of oppression operate and how Black people have pushed against them throughout history. While they expose the structures that seek to confine Black identity, artists like Kara Walker, David Hammons, and Dawoud Bey engage with these histories through visual language, interrogating race, power, and memory. Their work not only critiques the legacies of racism but also reimagines the possibilities of Black existence beyond oppression. 

Kara Walker is an American contemporary painter, silhouettist, printmaker, installation artist, and film director.  In her work she discusses themes of race, gender, and history specificially concerning the antebellum south, causing viewers to confront the enduring lefcu of slavery and racism in America.  Her piece Gone: an Historical Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b’tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart (1994) is a wall installation currenlty in the MoMA’s collection. Constructed using black cut-out silhoueyyes of charicatures of antebellum figures posed in radical, secual, adn violent scenarios. Her arangement of people on a white wall critiques the violent master-slave relationship, historical narratives of slavery, and ongoing perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes. The title, beginning with “Gone” refers to the 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel, Gone with the Wind, which takes palace duing the American Civil war.  

Gone: an Historical Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b’tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart depicts various scenes. First we see a white couple kissing. As our eyes move to the right a small black child is offering a chicken to a topless black girl who floats on her back. In the center of the installation a young black girl on her knees performs fellatio on a white boy. Furhter right, a balck girl lifts her leg as two babies pop out of her, and a white man performs analingus on a black servant. Rising above is a full moon and a black figure with a gargantuan penis. Walker highlights the foundation of racial and social inequality that plagues America echoing Cotes statement; 

But race is the child of racism, not the father. And the process of naming ‘the people’ has never been a matter of genealogy and phsiognomy so much as one of hierarchy. Difference in hue and hair is old. BUt the belief in he preeminence of hue and hair, the notion that these factors can correcrlt organize a society and that theysignify deeper attributes, which are indelible – this is the new idea at the hear of these new people who have een rought up hopelessly, tragically, deceitfuly, to believe they are white” 

By confronting stereotypes Walker reveals that witness isjust as artifical a construct as blackness is. By exposing these fabrications, Waljer omels us to interrogate the ways in which racist ideologies remain embedded in Amercan identity, politics, and culture today. 

Adrian Piper reinforces Walker’s combat of stereotypes and critique of racisms enduring legacy through her artistic practice, exposing how the stereotypes born from slavery and Jim Crow continue to shape perceptions of Blackness today. Piper was born on September 20, 1948 in New York City. As a distinguished American conceptual artist and philosopher, she studied at the Art Students League during highschool and earned her associates degree from the School of Visual Arts in 1969,  a bachelors in philosophy from the City College of New York in 1974, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University in 1981. Through her work Piper critically examines issues of race, gender, class, and  identity, challenging viewers to confront their own biasis and societal norms.

Her piece What It’s Like, What It Is #3 (1991) is a large scale mixed-medi installation that combats racial stereotypes by immersing the viewers in an environment that challenges their preconceived notions about race. The installation is constructed in a bright white amphitheater with a nine-foot-tall column that had reflective mirrors attached to its upper periphery. Four video screens are embedded ino the column, showin simultaneous views of an African American man as he speaks directly to the audience. He negates  commo stereotypes saying: “I’m not dirty, I’m not vulgar, I’m not horny, I’m not scary, I’m not selfish, I’m not evil” while The Commodores sing of flying far away in the background, challenging viewers to recognize how racial myths persist in contemporary society. Throughout her practice, Piper directly addresses the viewer to confront the way language and images configure how we think about race. By directly addressin the audience Piper exposes how deeply ingrained racial prejudice is, even when operating subconsiously.  Just as Coates argues that race is a social construct designed to uphold hierarch, Piper exemplifies that these contructs continue to shape black existence, demanding recognition and resistance. 

While both Walker and Piper’s installation works expose the ongoing legacy of racism, causing viwers to engage with their own complicity in subconsiously ingrained stereotypes, artists like David Hammons explore the perseverance and evolution of black people. Hammons is an American artist known for his multi-media work including sculpture, performance, body prints, assemblage and installation art to explore themse of race, identity, and the African American experience. While he has traversed a career of prominent works, two of his most notable are Higher Goals (1986) and African American Flag ( 1990). 

Higher Goals was constructed using five bottle cap-studded telephone poles that varied in height from twenty to thirty feet. At the top of each pole is a basketball backboard also covered in bottle caps, finalized with a hoop and net. Hammons nailed more than 10,000 bottle caps onto the surface of each pole to create diamond, spiral, and mesh patters. Higher goals was made as an analogy to professional basketball teams. While only five people can play on a tam we all want a chance in playing the game and winning success. Hammons made this piece in response o his own upbringing in America, where young african american boys are taught that basketball and dreams of the National Basketbal Association represent the only path to success andthe only recognition of their worth. By building basketball hoops that are just beyond feasible reach, hammons critiques the systemic limitations placed on Black kids, while simultaneously celbrating and uplifitng their ambition and resillience. The arduous process of nailing bottle caps onto towering polls mirrors the labor, dedication, and enduranc required to navigate societal obstacles and echoes the ability of black people to overcome barriers and redefine success. 

Similarly, his piece African American Flag, marks Hammon’s pride in Black America. Hammons created one of his most notable works, African-American Flag, 1990, for the “Black USA” exhibition curated by Jan Christian Braun in Amsterdam’s Museum Overholland. The African-American Flag is a powerful piece that awards African Americans a more fortuitous identity and a sense of belonging. This piece took the format of the U.S. flag and merged it with red, black, and green. These were the colors of the Black Liberation Flag (Pan-African Flag) created by Marcus Garvey in 1920, the leader of the Pan-Africansit movement. The purpose of the Black Liberation Flag was to unite all of those from the African diaspora, with each color signifying something different. Red indicates the blood shed, black for the people it represents, and green for the abundant wealth of Africa (Robinson, 2022). The Pan-African Flag is, in part, a response to a racist song; Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon”. The African-American Flag fuses the meaning of the American Flag with that of the Pan-African Flag to call attention to African American pride and heritage in a nation where black people see little validation for their worth or contributions to society, history, and culture.  The work questions identity, race, and belonging; it supplies the answer by merely existing. The construction of this piece resonates as it reflects Hammons’s practice of undermining American symbols to challenge historical narratives.

Five years before his creation of higher goals, Hammons met Dawoud Bey. Bey, born in Queens NY, and whose practice is concerned with ideas of community and the continuum of black life, began photographing street life in Harlem, where he fell into a group of artists including Hammons. As an American photographer Beyis renowned for his large-scale coloor portraits of adolescents and other often marginalized subjects. His piece Night Comint Tenderly, Black (2017) evokes the flight of enslaved African AMerican fugatives during the mid-nineteenth century as they travel along the latter parts of the Underground Railroad Network. Beginning in Ohio, Bey shot photographs moving north toward Lake Erie. Bey’s series is reminsicient of the visceral sensation of moving through unfamiliar nocturnal landscapes, highlighting a sense of vulnerability. In this series Bey challenges ismelf by making the invisible visible. 

Walker, Piper, Hammons, and Bey command practices that battle the lasting impact of racism by using their art to challenge stereotypes, reclaim narratives, and cause introspection in the minds of viewers. By creating their iconinc pieces, these artists are able to expose the systemic forces that contrain balck lives. While their works inform the general public on the hardships of the black experience, they stand a prt by highlighting the resilience and ingenuity required to navigate a society built on racial hierarchies. These artists forced audiences to grapple with hte realities of balck existence in America. Beyond theur cultural and social impace, these works function within the art market, where value is assigned based on factors that often ignore the very struggles these artists wish to illuminate. 

Kara Walker is an African American artist born in Stockton, California, in 1969. Her work has been exhibited all around the world, including the Tate Modern in London, the Whitney Museum,  and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. While she is best known for her silhouette practice, her work also includes highly sought-after drawings and sculptures. Pieces like “ A Subtly “ (2014), also known as “ The Marvelous Sugar Baby, “ have received critical acclaim. “ Sugar Baby “ is an installation presented at the beautifully repurposed Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn, New York. As viewers peered in, they were met with a thirty-five-foot sphinx sculpture coated in white sugar. As one of Kara Walker’s most well-known pieces, this work confronts ideas of race and the sugar trade’s connection to slavery, attracting significant attention for its commentary on contemporary issues. Walker’s focus on contemporary themes is central to her practice, as seen in her earlier work, “ Gone: A Historical Romance of Civil War As It Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart. “ 

Gone is a silhouette work created by Walker during her early career in 1994 and is currently part of MoMA’s collection, having been gifted by The Speyer Family Foundation in honor of Mari-Josée Kravis, a Canadian economist and philanthropist. Because this piece holds such significant status in MoMA’s collection, Gone has not appeared in the auction market, making auction results unavailable. Its absence from auctions reflects the piece’s institutional significance rather than its presence in the private market; however, other works by Walker have been auctioned, exemplifying her strong market interest and value. Mixed-media pieces like Negress Notes (1995-96), which explore themes of memory and identity, achieved a record auction price of $529,200 in May 2022, $229,000 above the estimate. Negress Notes exemplifies that collectors tend to gravitate towards Walker’s smaller-scale works, such as prints and drawings, while museums primarily acquire large-scale installations. Walker is often expected to perform well in the market, as most of her pieces sell for high prices when available. Still, many of her major works remain in institutional collections rather than circulating on the secondary market. 

Adrian Piper’s practice, while equally critical of racial and social hierarchies as Walker’s, faces different market challenges. Piper’s work is highly intellectual, combining art with philosophy to critique these hierarchies, similar to Walker’s approach. Her art is often text-heavy and performance-based, making her less commercially viable in traditional auction settings. Her mixed-media installation, What It’s Like, What It Is #3 (1991), has not appeared at auction. Its grand and immersive nature makes private ownership unfeasible, resulting in most of her buyers being institutions and universities rather than private collectors. 

While Piper’s market is shaped by institutional interest and the logistical challenges of her large-scale works, David Hammons takes a more strategic approach by deliberately limiting the availability of his pieces to influence demand. African American Flag (1990) has seen immense auction results, skyrocketing to over $2,050,000 million at both Phillips and Sotheby’s in 2017. The dichotomy of Hammons’ practice is seen in the art market for Higher Goals (1986), a large-scale public installation that has never been sold, highlighting the social engagement in the artwork rather than a collectible commodity. The speculative market surrounding Hammons’ works causes his art to be treated as an investment, with prices skyrocketing in recent years. 

Dawoud Bey’s work operates within the photography market, which has different valuation structures than paintings or sculptures. His piece, Night Coming Tenderly, Black (2017), has not been extensively auctioned. However, many of his earlier works have sold at auction, and his prices typically range from $20,000 to $100,000. Photography generally commands lower auction prices than painting or sculpture, making Bey’s work less of a speculative investment compared to Hammons or Walker. Bey’s work thrives in photography-specific auctions where price ceilings are lower, unlike the typical contemporary art auctions of conceptual artists. 

While all these artists deeply engage with identity, Black history, and social hierarchies, their commercial success varies depending on how their work fits into the structures of the art market. Hammons and Walker benefit from strong institutional backing and market demand. However, discrepancies arise when comparing Walker, who produces work in multiple editions, with Hammons, who is reluctant to engage with the gallery system, enhancing his mystique and market power. Conversely, Piper’s conceptual and performance works generally sell less frequently than those of Hammons and Walker, and when they do, they command lower prices due to their esoteric nature.  Piper’s focus on self-reflection and audience participation makes her work less suited for traditional art collecting, which limits her secondary market appeal. Bey’s practice differs significantly from the other artists in this section, aligning more with documentary and historical preservation, in contrast to the conceptual and provocative nature of Walker, Piper, and Hammons. This results in Piper and Bey being more academically celebrated than commercially dominant. This contrast reflects the ongoing racial disparities within the art world, where work palatable to elite collectors often sells at higher prices. At the same time, more confrontational or conceptual pieces struggle to attain the same level of financial recognition. 

Fading Light captures a nostalgic yet haunting scene of childhood innocence against the backdrop of environmental decline. At first glance, the piece radiates warmth—children laugh and run through an open field at sunset, their hands outstretched to catch glowing fireflies. By the creek, two children peer into the water, unaware of the pollution seeping beneath the surface. In the foreground, a McDonald’s Happy Meal box, once a symbol of youthful joy, now holds fragile fireflies, their glow dimming as three children huddle around in awe.

Inspired by my childhood in the early 2000s, this work reflects on the quiet disappearance of fireflies—once a hallmark of summer nights, now a rarity. The piece addresses the ongoing environmental crisis, particularly habitat destruction, light pollution, and water contamination. The creek serves as a reminder of the pollutants that contribute to species decline, while the Happy Meal box becomes a dual symbol: a personal artifact of childhood and a commentary on corporate responsibility for environmental degradation.

Through this work, I invite viewers to reflect on the changes in our natural world—what has been lost, what remains, and what actions we must take to preserve what we once took for granted.

Naomi Klein Critical Essay 

My lungs are burning and my legs ache as I run through the grass, my eyes fixed on the fading glow of the Northern Virginia sunset sky. Laughter escapes my chest as I notice my oldest friend running beside me. We’re six years old, exploring the fields beside our townhouses, chasing fireflies under the amber sky. With our McDonald’s cardboard lunch boxes in hand, we leap into the sky, catching one after another until our boxes overflow with light. It’s fourteen years later, I’m twenty-five, and I can’t remember the last time I saw a firefly.  

The disappearance of fireflies is not an isolated issue, but part of a much broader environmental crisis that threatens ecosystems and species worldwide. In “ A Summer Light Show Dims: Why Are Fireflies Disappearing? “ published in Yale Environment 360 in 2023, Ted Williams explains that fireflies are disappearing due to habitat destruction, light pollution, lawn chemical use, and water pollution. Eighteen firefly species are considered at risk of extinction in North America alone. The good news is that conservation efforts worldwide have been successful, proving that we can change the trajectory of various species’ mortality. Fireflies are a small aspect of an entire ecosystem at risk of extinction, revealing the urgent need to address the systemic issues driving environmental destruction. The destruction of ecosystems is one component of the grander environmental problem. 

Amazon rain forest fires and the deepwater horizon oil spill exemplify human-caused environmental harm that threaten global species and ecosystems. The Amazon Rainforest has suffered debilitating fires exasperated by deforestation, and land grabbing. In 2024 many attacks concerning indigenous rights in Brazil were tied to agribusiness and mining interests, leading to an increase in Amazon fires. Amid this destruction, nature itself has revealed potential solution, In the depths of the Amazon, scientists have discovered Pestalotiopsis microspora, a species of fungus capable of breaking down plastuc waste even in oxygen-depried environemnts. This discovery offers a glimpse of hope, demonstrating how ecosystems harbor tools for their own restoration, if only we prioritized conservation over exploitation. However, economic interests continue to overshadow these solutions, as industries continue to destroy biodiversity hotspots solely because they want profits. As we embark on a journey, navigating the winding waterways of the Amazon and traversing the terrains of south and central america, we find ourselves in the Gulf of Mexico, a significant ecological reion teeming with unique biodiversity. In addition to biodiversity the Gulf of Mexico was also home to BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which exploded in 2010, releasing millions of barrels of crude oil into the ocean. This disaster resulted in immense envionrmental damage. The spill’s long term impact affect marine life, coastal communities, and economic losses for local industries.  Years later the disaster’s affects are still prevelant, lingering in deformed fish and weakened ecosystems. 

While the disasters may not seem entirely relted – firefleis disappearing in suburban irginia, the Amazon burning, oil seeping into the Gulf– but they are connected. These disasters are all consequences of the same extractive and exploitative system that priorittizes profit over the health of the plant. Even when nature presents opportunities for healing, such as plastic-eating fung, systemic greed prevents these innovations from reaching their full potential. The environemtnal crisis is not a singular event, but an interconencted web of destruction, spanning continents, economies, and generations. 

The environmental crisis is one of the most urgent global issues, with consequences that impact economies, social structures, and natural ecosystems. Naomi Klein, Leah Thomas, James Hansen, and Bill McKibben reveal that climate change is not just an environmental issue but a crisis deeply intertwined with capitalism, systemic injustice, scientific urgency, and the need for activism. Their perspectives highlight that meaningful climate solutions require structural economic reform, social inclusivity, scientific policy shifts, and grassroots actions. Their arguments collectively demonstrate that meaningful climate solutions require comprehensive social, economic, and political reform. 

Economic Growth vs. Environmental Protection (Klein)

Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist society that prioritizes monetary gains over collective interests. Naomi Klein, a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses, addresses this in her book This Changes Everything (2014): “Our economic system and our planetary system are now at war, or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on Earth, including human life” (Klein, 19). Because various industries are so motivated by profits, we are unable to unify as a people to achieve climate solutions. Klein argues that unregulated capitalism is the root cause of the environmental crisis, critiqing neoliberal economic policies, which prioritize profit over sustainability. Tzeporah Berman corroborates Klein’s findings in Los Angeles is on fire and big oil are the arsonists, “This is not surprising. Denying science and promoting false narratives squarely falls within the playbook of the fossil fuel industry and its proponents. Take for example, Trump calling the climate crisis a hoax and once again threatening to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement.” Neoliberal economic policies emphasize deregulation and privatization, reducing governmental oversight in favor of free-market mechanisms. This model exacerbates environmental damage by allowing industries to exploit resources without addressing the long-term consequences. The Paris agreement for example, adopted in 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convetion on Climate Chage (UFCCC), intended to limit global warming to well below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels and aimed to limit the increase to 1.5ºC (Which has already been surpassed as of 2025). While this agreement does expose a national consensus for coordinated action to address climate change, it still falls short. The Paris Agreement encourages countries to set their own climate goals through nationally determined contributions (NDCs), but lacks enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance, which allows powerful industries and nations to delay their commitments in the name of economic competitiveness. Instead of mandating strict regulatory practices, the agreement heavily relies on market-based solutions like carbon trading and voluntary emission reductions aligning with with neoliberal policies that promote deregualted markets and corporate self-governance instead of state imposed enviornemntal restrictions. This allows major polluters to exploit loopholes and continue harmful practices. The Agreements emphasis on climate finance, is necessary, but reinforces existing economic inequalities. Because wealthier nations are able to determine how and where resources are located, this dynamic mirrors neoliberal trends, where financial power remains concentrated among a few actors, leaving other vommuniteis vulnerable to the harshest climate impacts. 

In On Fire (2019), Klein’s collection of essays focusing on climate change and the urgent actions needed to preserve the planet expresses that corporations are the biggest perpetrators of climate degradation. Yet, they also have a significant propensity for climate denial: “Rapid acceleration of climate breakdown has occurred simultaneous to, and as a direct result of, the successful globalization of the high consumer lifestyle birthed in the nations” (Klein, 21). Many environmentalists believe that economic development should be sustainable by prioritizing clean energy and conservation. Industrialists tend to lean the other way, believing that environmental policies hurt economic growth and impose financial burdens on businesses and consumers. Klein supports the Green New Deal, which prioritizes both environmental action and social justice. 

Intersectionality of Climate Change and Social Justice  (Thomas)

Leah Thomas, an American environmental activist, wrote The Intersectional Environmentalist (2022), which expands the conversation by emphasizing the connections between environmental issues and social justice. Thomas highlights how typical environmental movements often overlook marginalized communities that suffer disproportionately from pollution, climate change, and environmental degradation, noting that “new environmental legislation passed in the 1970s directly diverted toxic waste into Black, Brown, and low-income communities” (Thomas, 65-66). Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate exposure of communities of color to environmental hazards like pollution or toxic wase. Discriminatory policies are a reult of this, leading to practices that locate hazardous facilities near marginalized communities. This phenomena is exasperated by verconsumption, especially in well-off communities leading to environmental degradation and pollution. Environmental racism has led to higher rates of illness and displacement in low-income communities. Furthermore, with “a lack of systemic protection” (87) concerning natural disasters, low-income and BIPOC communities are more vulnerable, subsequently exacerbating the wealth gap. These communities frequently face inadequate disaster insurance and housing that is ill-equipped to protect them during emergencies. Issues such as language barriers complicate this situation, making it more difficult to understand safety instructions. Additionally, the lack of government assistance, limited access to loans, and increased racial biases contribute to slower recovery processes, leaving those in need stranded. For climate activism to truly make a difference, we must incorporate marginalized voices to ensure effectiveness and equity. 

The science of climate change and political inaction (Hansen)

James Hansen, one of the earliest climate scientists to raise the alarm, has consistently provided evidence that human-caused climate change is escalating at an alarming rate. In his book, Storms of My Grandchildren (2009), Hansen uses scientific data to demonstrate that change is occurring faster than initially predicted. We can see this in the increase of 1.5ºC years before anticipated, or the California wildfires. The world has seen increasing wildfires with occurrences in Australia, Canada, and California, sometimes at the same time. California’s Wildfires have been increasinglys ever, desolating communities and demolishing homes. These fires are influenced by climate change (obviously), forest management practices, and urban development in fire-prine areas. The fires hae not only demolished houses, but have devastated families, leading to the loss of life and significant ecological impact. The 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County for example resulted in seven deaths, destruction of thousand of structures, and displacement of hundreds of thousands of residents. The disruption and loss faced by community members is incalculable, but still “president-elect Donald Trump and rightwing media are using this devastating even to foster misinormatoin including denying the rold ot climate crisis” (Berman, 2025). Hansen highlights the reality of climate change and the impending tipping points that humanity is triggering. Rising CO2 levels are surpassing safe limits, causing irreversible shifts in the environment. Similar to Klein’s argument, Hansen emphasizes how fossil fuel interests have corrupted climate policy debates. To improve this system, Hansen proposes a carbon tax and extensive policy reform.  

Activism as a Necessary Force for Climate Action (McKibben)

Bill Mckibben emphasizes Hansen’s point in his books The End of Nature (1989) and Falter (2019), where he argues that humans have permanently altered the planet and that collective activism is necessary for change. He emphasizes that climate change is not a future threat but is instead happening now. Grassroots movements are integral in fighting climate change as they pressure corporations and politicians to take action. Transitioning away from fossil fuels and focusing more on sustainable and renewable energy can turn things around. 

Greta Thunberg, a prominent young climate activist, has become the face of contemporary climate activism as of 2021. She challenged world leaders to take responsibility. Her speeches, especially her address at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2019, highlight the urgency of immediate action, famously stating, “How dare you?” in response to government inaction. Thunberg embodies the youth-led climate movement that refuses to accept complacency. The push for sustainable practices, such as natural skincare and eco-friendly products, is part of this larger movement. However, the shift is paradoxically accompanied by an increase in overconsumption. Industries have feigned climate care, often using greenwashing,  a deceptive marketing strategy that portrays a company as environmentally friendly, capitalizing on sustainability as a trend while continuing environmentally harmful production methods. This contradiction highlights how consumer culture can undermine meaningful progress. 

Klein exposes how capitalism fuels climate destruction, while Thoams tackles this issue from a more interdisciplinary approach. Thomas and McKibben relate in their emphasis on activism, while Hansen provides a scientific approach. Together their perspectives reveal the multifaceted nature of the environmental crisis, one that is deeply economic, social, and political. 

Many conservatives prioritize economic growth and deregulation over environmental policies that would limit industry profits. Progressives, like Klein, on the other hand, argue that capitalism itself must be reformed to address the climate crisis. This debate ties into the concept of ecological debt, where wealthy nations have contributed the most to climate change, but the brunt of the suffering is held by marginalized communities who suffer disproportionately. Many environmentalists argue that we have a moral duty to prevent climate catastrophe for future generations. Others argue from a less selfish perspective, highlighting the intrinsic value of nature beyond its usefulness to humans. Indigenous perspectives, like that of Thomas, emphasize living in harmony with the environment rather than exploiting it. People tend to reject climate science simply because it conflicts with their economic interests and worldview, exacerbated by fossil fuel companies’ manipulation of these biases through misinformation campaigns. Some have fallen victim to apathy, believing that the crisis is too large to solve. 

Some argue that free-market innovations, such as electric vehicles and carbon trading, can solve the crisis without government intervention. However, Klein and Hansen assert that capitalism is inherently resistant to the necessary systemic changes. Many climate skeptics believe climate change is a natural cycle rather than a man-made crisis, and many think personal choices like recycling and reducing waste are sufficient. 

The environmental crisis is not just a scientific issue but an economic, social, and political challenge that requires urgent action. If we do not confront these challenges head-on, we risk losing the very ecosystems and species, like fireflies, that were once art of our everyday lives. Without urgent intervention, we risk crossing irreversible tipping points that could endanger future generations. 

In response to this looming catastrophe, artists have used their work to engage with environmntal issues, offering powerful visual critiques and imaginative solutions. Figures like Agnes Denes, Mel Chin, Chris Jordan, and Zaria Forman create art that not only reflects the consequences of ecological destruction but also inspires action. Through large scale installations, interactive experiences, and date-driven visuals, these artists challenge viewers to reconsider their relationship ith the natural world and confront he urgent need for change. 

Agnes Denes (b. 1931) created Wheatfield – A Confrontation: Battery Park Landfill, Downtown Manhattan (1982) by planting a 2 acre wheat field on a landfill in lowermanhattan, just blocks from Wall Street and the World Trade Center.  Facing the Statue of Liberty, this land art was maintained for months, harvested in August, and yielding over 1000 pounds of healthy wheat. Denes created a powerful paradox by planting wheat on land worth $4.5 billion. 

Denes is a Hungarian–American artist best known for pioneering conceptual art especially when referencing her environmental and ecological works. Her work often centere around the intersections of science, philosophy, and the environment leading to pieces like Wheatfield, which juxtapose agriculture with urbn development commenting on the relationship between nature, capitalism, and urbanization. Denes uses the wheatfield as a symbol to represent food, energy, commerce, world trade, an economics. Wheatfield represented the misplaced priorities and deteriorating human values, which are exposed by her choice of location. By planting and harvesting wheat in one of the world’s most expensive and congested spaces, Denes, disrupted the conventional systems of commerce and land use – turning manhattan into a commentary on sustainability. She is able to shine  alight on mismanagement, waste, world hunger, and ecological concerns. To spread awareness the piece traveled 28 cities around the globe a part of an exhibition titled “The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger”. Denes left a lasting impression despite the impermanence of Wheatfield, leading to strong reactions from critics and viewers of the time. 

Similar to Denes, Mel Chin (b. 1951) uses the earth itself as subject and medium. However, while Wheatfield served as a symbolic confrontation of capitalism and ecological mismanagement, Chin’s Revival Field (1991-ongoing) focuses directly on environmental remediation. Instead of solely critiquing the destruction of our environment, Chin wanted to heal it by transforming contaminated land into a haven for regeneration through the use of hyperaccmulator plants. These plants thrive in soil or bodies of water with high concentration of heavy metals, absorbing and concentrating these elements in their fibers at levels that are usually toxic to most other species. By extracting heavy metals from polluted environemnts these plants are able to help restore ecological balance in degraded sites. His art speaks to how art can transcend beyond solely raising awareness to actively participating in ecological restoration, merging art with activism. 

Chin is known for his interdisciplinary style that explores issues like environmental degradation, political injustice, and historical trauma. He is considered an ecovention artists, which refers to an ecological art intervention in environemntal degradation. His piece Revivial Field is constructed of plants, fencing, and a hazardous wase site to explore environmental restoration. Firt seen at the insanely polluted Pig’s Eye Landfill in St. paul, Minnesota, despite bureaucratic hurdles. Chin was able to proceed with the project by calling his experiment a work of art rather than a scientific exploration, making it the first field test of this phytoremediation method (a.k.a green remediation or agroremediation) in the U.S. Revivial Field was constructed in a geometric layout mad eof barbed wire fencing and quadrants of plants to symbolize the tension between destruction and healing as well as industrialization and nature. Chin utilizes land art to spark questions aboutour role in the Anthropocene, “a descriptor for the present era where hyman interference in the earths natural process has caused a departure from the last geological epoch”. Th eproject instills a sense of guilt and hope, while we bear the responsibility of rectifying the damage weve done to the world, nature possesses the resilience to regenerate if given the right conditions. After time has passed, the plants no longer need human interference and instead remediate the soil on their own, highlighting the idea that ecological balance can be restored even in the most damaged landscapes. Chin understand this process as “sculpture as a living ecology,” were the final form is dictated not by the artists hands but by biological and environmental forces. 

While Revival Field exlores the potention for healing contaminated landscapes through scientific intervention, Chris Jordan’s Midway: Message from the Gyre (2009-2013) reveals the devestating consequence of environmental neglect, showing how plastic pollution infiltrates and harms ecosystems beyond the point of repair. As an American photographer who uses visual imagery to confront issues of mass consumption, environmental degradation, and human impact on the planet, Jordan (b. 1963) photographed decomposing carcasses of Laysan albatross that have died from ingesting plastic. Jordan feels that “kneeling over their carcasses is like looking into a macabre mirror. These birds reflect back an appallingl emblematic result of the collective trance of our consumerism and runaway ndustrial growth” (Pictet).  As the albatross skim the oceans surface, looking for food, they often pick up plastic which they then feed to themselves and their young chicks. Eventually, their bodies become clogged with plastic until they die of starvation, suffocation, or internal injuries. This artwork exemplifies that the environmental crisis is as equally emotional and ethical as it is sceintific and political. 

Similarly, Zaria Forman’s Glacier Series (2011) captures the emotional weight of environemtnal devastation through haunting and serene pastel drawings of melting icebergs in Greenland and rising tides. Like Jordan, Forman uses 2D surfaces to portray the fragility of Earth’s most vulnerable landscapes. While Jordan documents the aftermath of huan pollution, Forman portrays th quiet erosion of natural beauty caused by climate change.  As an American artist Forman (b. 1982) best known for her detailed pastel landscapes, emphasizes the rapid environmental changes occuring in these environments with a keen focus on flobal warming. Her practice is defined by an attempt to appeal on an elemental level; “According to behavioral psychologists, much of our decision-making comes from our emotions. Art has a special ability to tap into emotions (that’s scientifically proven!). For this reason I chose to convey the beauty of these places at the forefront of climate change, as opposed to the devastation. If you can experience the sublimity of these landscapes, perhaps you will be inspired to protect and preserve them” (Brooklynrail). In doing so, Forman transforms environmental observation into emotional engagement, inviting viewers to not only witness the impact of climate change, but also feel personally connected to its consequences. 

Denes, Chin, Jordan, and Forman demonstrate how environmental art can hold a critical space between symbolism, scientific intervention, and emotional eckoning. The land, body, and images are used to communicate impending dooms and urgent realities of ecological collapse, the consequence of capitalism, and the potential for regeneration. Whether through Whetfields planted on billion dollar real-estate, contaminated solid transformed by hyperaccumulator plants, haunting photographs of plastic choked seabirds, or pastel drawings of melting glaciers, these artists challenge viewers to see and feel the climate crisis on personal and planetary scales. As their artworks circulate in allergies, museums, and global exhibitions, they also enter systems of commerce and cultural capital. The next chapter will explore how these works, despite their activist intentions, are situated within systems of valuation, commodificaiton, and institutional suport, raising important questions about how environmental art is consumed, collected, and capitlaized upon.