The Ephemeral Nature of Things is the documentation of my artistic practice as a coping mechanism for solastalgia and climate grief, through photomontage and painting. Solastalgia, a term coined by Glen Albrecht in 2007, describes the deep distress that arises when one’s environment changes or is threatened, leading to feelings of loss and powerlessness. It transcends mere nostalgia, encompassing a profound emotional connection to the land (Albrecht 2007: 45) . Being deeply engaged with the natural world, I find that solastalgia profoundly influences my work. While my study focuses on three specific locations, my sense of loss extends beyond them, reflecting a broader concern for the planet.

At the intersection of art, literature, and climate grief, Corey Hardeman and Robin Wall Kimmerer resonate with my lived experience. Hardeman explores themes of loss, memory, and solastalgia through her paintings and writings, informed by her background as a death doula and biologist. Embracing grief as a means of connection, Hardeman (2023) views her artistic practice as an act of care and attention, memorializing her grief while shifting from ecomimesis to ambient poetics (Morton 2007: 34) to capture the atmosphere of places or memory of such a place.

During the experimental phase of my practice, I collaborated directly with the earth by burying cotton duck canvas in various soil locations. Choosing this material, which symbolizes industry, allows me to subvert the capitalist industrial complex by returning it to the earth. This slow process reveals the intricate dance between human intention and natural forces, helping me deepen my connection to the land. By extracting pigments from the soil at each site, I enrich my painting process with the earth’s very essence.

Further exploration leads me to integrate photomontages and charcoal drawings into my paintings, adding complexity and depth. I project these images onto the canvas and trace them with charcoal, compressing multiple layers of meaning that reflect the multifaceted nature of memory and time. This method, grounded in our shared carbon connection, facilitates a more intuitive expression and invites ambient poetics into my practice. As I move to painting, I embrace the fluidity of the medium, allowing the canvas to guide the process. Incorporating soil from burial sites through handmade pigments infuses my studio with the essence of the earth, creating a harmonious blend of memory, atmosphere, and painting. Each brushstroke feels like a dance between creation and destruction, echoing reflections on life’s cycles.

This symbiotic relationship with the earth transforms my practice into a lived ethic of care, serving as a strategy for navigating climate grief. By nurturing this ethos, I honour my connection to a community of care, acknowledging our collective finitude and the ephemeral nature of existence. As I delve deeper into this artistic journey, I recognize the need to return to the earth, embracing our role in the cycle of life.

My exhibition, The Ephemeral Nature of Things, features four installations that each reference a specific location or the absence of one. Each piece documents the creative process as a coping mechanism, viewed through the lens of ecological mindfulness and reverence for the earth. Through this artistic approach, I aim to foster an Ecological Aesthetic of Care, promoting awareness of our interconnectedness with the environment.

18,7% of the sale price, on the large works, will be distributed equally as donations to the Whale Coast Conservancy, Fernkloof Nature Reserve/Hermanus Botanical Society, and Overstrand Municipality’s Biodiversity Management.