Christopher Woodward

Artist Statement

My artistic practice investigates the nuances between death, life, and ecology and their relationship to conservation, preservation, and naturalism. My work spans materials and focuses on concepts to confront and bring attention to environmental catastrophes and create space for reflection. My work functions as a ritual of mourning and a space for learning, utilizing the gallery space and the reverence for art as an opportunity to bring attention to environmental hazards and create space for reflection. Key themes in my work surround the examination of the anthropocene/holocene such as; conservation vs the individual, eco-poetics, and slow violence. Woodward draws inspiration from the natural world and the clinical museum environment, to create my works.

Utilizing a variety of media from photography and sculpture to performance and installation; materials are used as extensions of concept: leaves become fur, walking becomes meditation, and light becomes an image. These poetic translations are used to clarify and expand on the research topics I investigate. His work is often described as soft, clinical, and minimal while still presenting imagery that is jarring and organic. Through these aesthetic decisions the work confuses binaries and connotations that one holds with ecology and the environment.

Research is instrumental to my practice, focusing on the impacts of conservation, resignation, and the binary perspective of ecology. My work seeks to challenge the preconception of place, stewardship, and human interference. My research, similarly to concept, also directly impacts my media choice: carp scales for works on invasive species in lakes, orchids for works on the botanical trade, salt prints for works on the dying Great Salt Lake are all examples of how media is sourced and based on the concepts and research that are being explored. Collaboration is also key to my work, working with artists, scientists, and other researchers, such as the Division of Wildlife Resources to gain access and work on a restricted island to study an isolated ecosystem, i.e. Island on Land, or partnering with other artists to curate more diverse conversations surrounding environmentalism, his work employs community dialog and conversations with researchers to create a foundation for his work.

These studies allow for the examination of one's relationship with the natural world and how to navigate the rhizomatic web of ecology we all impact. I elaborates on ecology, life, and death through reinterpretations of historic stories, and a hyper-focus on species; such as flipping the childhood fable “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” to “Sheep in Wolf Skin” in an examination of challenging traditional perspectives of dominance, submission, and ecological interaction.
By subverting the roles of predator and prey, the themes of power, empathy, and environmental relationships are explored. These examinations blend into research about conservation and resignation, such as killing a species to protect one, or more complexly, exterminating a species to safeguard profit i.e. wolves and sheep farms, beetles and the lumber trade, or lakes and lithium mining.