This study examines how contemporary soil-based artworks critique colonial histories and articulate the profound interconnection between soil, human identity, and environmental responsibility. It emphasizes the vital relationship between humans and the natural world, arguing that art functions as an archive of history, cultural memory, and ecological consciousness.
Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates posthuman feminist theory with qualitative interviews with artists and scholars, this research explores soil-based artworks that address the legacies of environmental and colonial degradation. Historically categorized as “Land Art,” works from the 1970s often distanced audiences from the lived and ethical relationships between people and land. In contrast, contemporary soil-based practices reconnect communities with the earth through tactile and inclusive experiences that foreground colonial histories.
This thesis focuses on decolonial soil-based artworks that expose the toxic consequences of colonialism for the land and its inhabitants. By comparing earlier earth art with current practices, it traces a shift from aesthetic detachment toward politically and ecologically engaged artmaking. The analysis demonstrates how these works confront historical erasure and contribute to ongoing decolonial discourse.
Ultimately, this research argues that soil-based artworks not only register the enduring effects of colonialism but also offer pathways toward restorative relationships with the land and forms of collective healing.