Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1974 Opens at MOCA

This weekend MOCA opens a new exhibition called Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1974. According to the museum, this is the first “…exhibition to deal broadly with Land art… [and] provides a comprehensive overview that reveals the complexity of the movement’s social and political engagement with the historical conditions of its time.”

Land Art (also known as “earthworks” or “earth art”) is a movement in which artists create large-scale works directly in a natural setting using both natural materials found at the site and other materials introduced by the artist. In these works, which are often sited in remote locations, artists merge landscape and the art itself such that both elements are inextricably linked.  

While you may not be familiar with the term “Land Art,” it’s likely you’ve seen photos or read stories about some well-known works. Examples include A Trace in the Wood in the Form of an Angle of 30° – Crossing the Path (1969) by Jan Dibbets and Wrapped Coast Little Bay, Sydney, Australia (1968-69) by Jeanne-Claude and Christo. Photos of both these works appear below and are included in the MOCA exhibition.

A Trace in the Wood in the Form of an Angle of 30° – Crossing the Path by Jan Dibbets. Photo from MOCA web site.

Wrapped Coast by Jeanne-Claude and Christo. Photo from MOCA web site.

The show includes works by over eighty artists, as well as projects from the United Kingdom, Japan, Israel, Iceland, Eastern and Northern Europe, and the Americas. 

DETAILS

When: May 27 – September 3, 2012

Where: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, located at 152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

More Information:
MOCA Calendar