M Faozi Yunanda M.Pd.

Non-Utilitarian Ecological Consumption

Within the landscape of contemporary visual art, the exploration of ecological issues has increasingly gained significant attention and space. The growing reality of environmental crises ranging from deforestation and water pollution to climate change and other forms of environmental degradation that are directly felt has encouraged artists to reflect upon the interrelationship between humans and nature through their artistic practices. Contemporary visual art, as a space of reflection and a mirror of responses to developments in culture, technology, and social issues, is considered an ideal medium for accommodating the outpouring of creativity in the process of artistic production within this exhibition. Exploration in contemporary visual art opens new possibilities in how art is produced, experienced, and understood. It provides artists with expansive space to transcend conventional boundaries by experimenting with diverse media, techniques, concepts, and meanings in their works.

The theme “Non-Utilitarian Ecological Consumption” serves as a meeting point between ecological consciousness and visual representation, opening space for discussion on how art can articulate the dynamics of consumption and its impact on the environment. In this context, consumption is not merely understood as an economic human activity, but as an action with systemic consequences for global ecosystems. Through the framework of Non-Utilitarian Ecological Consumption, art also functions as a critique of unsustainable patterns of consumption.

Global capitalism has generated a massive and aggressive culture of consumption that often neglects environmental consequences. Artists reveal how excessive consumption produces ecological inequality, generates waste, and accelerates environmental degradation. Through visual practices, artists question humanity’s dependence on the exploitation of natural resources, reframing consumption as an attitude that can be controlled or even redefined thus fostering a deeper awareness of the ecological impacts of everyday decisions.

These issues become a magnet that draws subjects into connection when responding to them through artistic media, particularly visual art. The realities outlined above are offered openly to be engaged with by artists from Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Questions of whether these issues are contextual or directly related to the conditions of their respective countries dissolve within a deeper concept of interconnectedness that envelops these concerns. They grow into shared anxieties, freely represented through artistic works, grounded in a strong essence that conveys both message and critique.

However, visual art is not merely a tool for critique; it is also a medium for imagining more sustainable futures. Through powerful visual narratives, art can awaken collective awareness and inspire behavioural change. Artists working within the framework of Non-Utilitarian Ecological Consumption not only contribute to discourse on environmental crises, but also offer alternative messages towards more responsible patterns of consumption. In an era where ecology has become an urgent issue, visual art holds great potential to become part of the solution.

By integrating principles of sustainability into artistic practice, art can function as a space for reflection, critique, and hope envisioning a more harmonious relationship between humans and nature.