With our world in the state it is today, we have activists that are coming up with all sorts of new, creative ways to get their messages across. Take for instance Banksy, who brought street art activism to the mainstream through his infinitely replicable street art stencils and extremely successful documentary. With artists discovering new ways to be unique, some are starting to push the envelope. They are willing to do anything to make an impact, even if it means making people upset. Montreal-born contemporary fine artist Marc Adornato is one of those artists.
Adornato has made a name for himself in the past by creating controversial and thought provoking art, including sculptures of protestor heads mounted like big game, and a submission to the RBC Canadian Painting Competition featuring their mascot flipping them off. For now, he is tackling a different issue – climate change.
In his own words, Adornato said he is creating “Ruined Landscapes” to portray the destruction of the Canadian environment. According to his artist’s statement, he does this by “’hijacking’ vintage landscape paintings found in thrift stores and antique shops, painting in hazmat cleanup crews and man-made environmental disasters.”
He added his goal is to show the effect pollution is having on Canada and in our own backyards.
By painting these graphic realities on beautiful old pristine landscapes, he’s giving the world a rude realization that this is what things are actually starting to look like, and in fact maybe the Canada that these painters were depicting in their pictures is not the same as the one that exists today.
Not only that, but if we don’t start doing something to change our system, we’ll lose these sights for real, forever.
“[A hundred] years ago Tom Thompson and artists in ‘The Group of Seven’ made a name for themselves painting the pristine Canadian landscape. 100 years later, I’ve created contemporary artworks that reflect the new Canadian landscape.” Adornato said in his statement.
Even though his exhibition “I’ve Got Some Bad News” is bringing the important issue of the environment to light, it raises a different serious question: is it ok to change other artists’ work? From the looks of his Facebook page, everyone’s answer is yes.
“[I] embody Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan’s phrase ‘the medium is the message’ by actually ruining other people’s landscape paintings with toxic accidents,” Adornato said to defend his work.
Personally, I am conflicted. On one hand I believe that artists and their work should be respected, meaning that they shouldn’t have to worry about another artist changing or vandalizing their work. However, Adornato’s approach to his work is great. What better way to get across a powerful message then by doing something rogue and bad-ass? By “ruining” the beautiful and serene landscapes and changing them into more pessimistic representations, people are forced to see what they don’t want to see. Instead of being able to claim ignorance to the things that are happening to our planet, or just choosing to see through smog covered, rose-coloured glasses, this forces us to see the truth.
Adornato’s street art-esque paintings should be seen for what they are: a long overdue wake up call to see our effect on the planet. The stir he’s soon to cause will hopefully bring more awareness to these issues. Not only that, it should inspire more artists to get wild and creative for the things they care about.
