Geological changes in the present time are formed because of human activity as opposed to volcanic and evolutionary activity in the past. The rate of change exceeds all geological history. The effect of man is so powerful and unprecedented that there are scientists that claim a new era – the Anthropocene.
The artist, Orly Montag, through her works in the exhibition Piece of Land, relates to the gluttony of humanity as destructive, eating away natural resources of the planet and simultaneously disposing of a huge amount of damaging industrial materials as waste. These actions leave impressions in the layers of the earth like geological marks. In the earth sediment are new man-made materials including aluminum, plastic, and concrete.
Montag uses the shelves of the gallery like the display case in a bakery serving rich cakes made of natural and industrial layers. The layers are like a geological section with raw materials including silica bricks, earth, glue, and artificial plants. The artist creates an enticing harmony that is inedible referring to the human eating away exceeding the needs for survival.
Beside the artificial cakes Montag places figures that “ride” the different rocks, creating an inseparable connection of dependency between the stone and the figure. The figures might be young or old, integrated into the stone as if searching for protection in some cases or “galloping” ahead displaying a position of strength.
The exhibition, Piece of Land, represents the tension between human dependency on natural resources and the human consumer impulse to trample and plunder as we develop and advance.
Montag creates objects that are minimalist, earth toned terracotta with artificial greenery which on a superficial level represent the beautiful and pleasant, but on closer examination they tell the story of the danger in objectifying nature and present a warning sign.
