Art as Philosophy

For Kevin Costello, creating art is about more than visual beauty. For him, his craft has a responsibility to reflect on important social issues.

Costello, a graduate of the Chelsea School of Art and University of London’s Goldsmiths College, says he’s always been drawn to art’s ability to put forward a message in a way no other medium can.

His newest installation, “Sojourn Into the Anthropocene,” addresses the issue of global warming.

It’s inspired by the Anthropocene — an ecological term describing the proposed period in history, in which human behavior begins to impact the planet. His charcoal installation, hand-drawn directly onto the walls of Art Center Sarasota, immerses viewers in the concept.

“I’m very interested in nature, and in art as visual philosophy,” he says. “I think it’s important to address these issues, and art allows you to explore it in a way that words can’t. Words are reflective — they’re after the fact. Art is a direct, immediate experience.”

Costello recruited a team of eight other artists to tackle the three-wall mural, which uses a technique called defamiliarization — a component of metamodernism in which the artist presents familiar concepts to the viewer in an unfamiliar context.

Some are obvious; some are more subtle. An antique car sits perched on an iceberg; animals (all endangered species) exist outside their natural habitats and repeated elements create a sense of disorientation.

He chose charcoal, he says, for its primitive nature and relation to the theme.

“There’s a cyclical nature to it,” he says. “You’re using burned nature to talk about nature. And it doesn’t get much more intimate than charcoal. There’s nothing between you and the art.”

The mural spans three walls, each using its geographical location to represent a region of the world. The artists each added their own touch to the piece, with Costello overseeing the project. It’s the first time he’s worked collaboratively on an installation like this.

“It was pleasantly surprising,” he says. “It was a dialogue in the purest sense. Every artist brought their own background and style, and it’s interesting that they’re all from different countries, because this is a global issue. I hope people look at this and think about the fragility of life — I come away with some kind of emotion.”