Humans have always had a deep connection to nature. People use plants as food, seasoning and medicine. Forests provide the wood needed to build homes and the paper needed to print money, important documents and beach reads alike. Many artists use nature as inspiration for their color palettes, textures and subjects. 

Frida Kahlo used the Mexican landscape around her home to inspire paintings like Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. The deserts of New Mexico inspired some of Georgia O’Keefe’s most famous works of art like Ram’s Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills. 

Based on a desire to truly connect with nature, biophilic art is an art form that specifically seeks to connect viewers with nature through the use of natural materials, nature-inspired themes, and forms and patterns that mimic those found in nature. 

If you’ve been wanting to infuse nature into your creative practice, you’ll definitely be inspired after learning about the history of biophilic art, some of the most famous biophilic artists and how to overcome common challenges when working with natural materials and themes. 

The Beginnings of Biophilic Art

Literally meaning “love of life,” biophilia is the natural affinity and love human beings have for living things and nature. Its adjective form, biophilic, can be found in the world of architecture, art and design to describe design principles and creative choices that are aligned with a love and appreciation for nature. 

Biophilic design is most commonly used in architecture and interiors but the term is slowly becoming more popular in the art world. It’s difficult to pinpoint its exact emergence because humans have been incorporating nature into their homes for thousands of years. The ancient Romans were fond of interior courtyards and lush gardens. They also often featured nature in their murals, mosaics and frescos.

The term “biophilia” itself wasn’t coined until 1973 when psychoanalyst Erich Fromm used it in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. He described it as “the passionate love of life and of all that is alive.” A decade later, American biologist Edward O. Wilson published Biophilia, where he argues that humans are genetically predisposed to focus on and desire to be close to nature. 

Many see biophilia as a response to a modern world where humans spend more time inside and less time with nature than they ever have. Time spent with technology and sitting in front of screens may lead more people to crave moments in and around nature. 

In the art world, Diane Epstein is known for her exploration of biophilic art design. She works to integrate the experience of nature and natural patterns. She defines biophilia as “curating a sensory-rich spirit of place, honoring our human-nature bond and the innate, visceral, natural affinity and yearning for love and aliveness—expressed and cultivated through the shape and soul of our story, culture and the patina of time.”

While nature-inspired and environmental art has existed since the emergence of art itself, biophilic art specifically aims to nurture the innate emotional and psychological connection that exists between humans and nature, as well as promote well-being by creating art that features direct or symbolic representations of nature. 

Biophilic Art Within Today’s World

Modern society isn’t as connected with nature as it was hundreds of years ago. Today, most people wake up, get into their car or public transportation, go to work where they sit inside and often in front of a screen all day and then take their transportation of choice back home. This daily rhythm leaves little time for a walk through the park, gardening in the backyard or a dip in a local lake. 

Trends such as wellness, slow living, and environmental advocacy have emerged in response to our highly digital and indoor world, as well as environmental issues like pollution, global warming, and animal extinction. Given the current state of today’s society and the popularity of these trends, it is no surprise that biophilic art is becoming a more common topic in the art world. 

If you’ve been guided toward biophilic art, you might personally be craving a deeper connection with nature. This desire to return to the wild is reshaping and challenging design principles in gallery culture, digital art and interior design. 

Apple’s newest store in Miami used biophilic design principles when the architects and designers chose to work with regionally sourced timber and other low-carbon materials like the biomass-based terrazzo that covers the floor. The store also runs entirely on renewable energy. 

Artists such as Pan Inkhoo and Mulgil Kim frequently incorporate natural themes throughout their work. One of Mulgil’s pieces, titled A Shining Home, features a little village that seems to be made entirely of grass. She shared that these green-hued paintings “concentrate on the beauty of irreplaceable and precious nature.”

Even traditional art galleries are making strides towards more eco-friendly and biophilic-forward practices. Founded in 2020, the Gallery Climate Coalition is a group of 900 galleries that are committed to being more environmentally conscious. They strive to adopt greener shipping methods and host exhibitions where the proceeds are donated to nonprofit organizations. Tribeca’s 1969 Gallery recently hosted “World Beyond World,” an exhibition that donated proceeds to Only One, a nonprofit that works to restore ocean health.

Biophilic Artists

Artist Caroline Ross uses exclusively natural materials to make her paintings and illustrations down to her quill pens and brushes. Crows leave behind mussel shells from their seaside meals that she uses as paint palettes. The feathers that fall from the local swans and geese become her pens and brushes. Badgers in the Ridge Woods near her home dig white chalk out of the earth to build their dens, which she turns into pastels and paints. 

Using natural materials is a significant principle of biophilic art. Most artists want their connection and love for nature to be present in every aspect of their artwork. Artist Patrick M. Lydon collaborated with nature when he left ten white canvases in a Korean forest for one year. He asked the forest to become the artist and then displayed them as part of an exhibition called “Forest is the Artist” in a gallery called PlaceMAK in Seoul, South Korea. 

Each work of art came together after the white canvas was subject to the forest’s bugs, worms and birds. One canvas featured a perfectly straight pine needle, and others were marked by the drips and flows of water.  

Natural paints, dyes and pastels aren’t the only tools used to create art in the world of biophilia. Some artists use plants to create living installations. Patrick Blanc is a French botanist who is considered one of the pioneers of vertical gardens. He has installed hundreds of urban garden walls around the world, including at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, Caixa Fórum in Madrid, and Sydney's One Central Park.

Immersive experiences are especially popular in the world of biophilic art. The feeling of stepping into a forest or swimming toward the horizon in the ocean is one where you’ll feel completely surrounded and immersed in the beauty of nature. Artists like Scenocosme have created living art installations with plants that produce specific nature-inspired sounds when touched. 

By activating senses like touch and hearing, in addition to sight, artists can further remind their audience of the senses they experience when in nature. 

Biophilic art, particularly in the form of living moss walls and vertical gardens, is often found in hospitals, schools, and urban spaces due to the scientifically proven benefits of being in and around nature. 

A heart and lung rehab center in Norway placed twenty-eight live plants in its common areas and tested the well-being of its patients before and after. In their study, they found that the patients who were around the new plants reported a greater increase in well-being four weeks later compared to patients who didn’t have greenery around them. 

The administration at Putney High School in London applied biophilic art and design principles to their classrooms by incorporating living plants and full-size photographic wall art of a forest. They found that a total of 96% of their students felt positive feelings toward the new classroom design, and 78% of pupils reported feeling healthier.

In another small study, researchers placed either an actual plant, an artificial plant, a photograph of a plant or no plant at all in a classroom. They then placed elementary students in each classroom and conducted brain scans. The brain scans revealed that students who studied with real, live plants were more attentive and better able to concentrate than those in the other groups. 

Becoming a Biophilic Artist

If you love nature, appreciate the healing benefits of being surrounded by it, and often enjoy expressing your creativity, biophilic art might be your next creative niche. You might already know a little bit about natural art materials or already be drawn toward natural materials when buying your clothes or adding objects to your home. 

A desire to connect with nature can be a guiding theme throughout a career as a biophilic artist. While the idea of working with natural pigments and fibers is interesting in theory, there are some challenges when it comes to working with living or natural elements. 

Biophilic Art Challenges to Consider

When working with living elements, you have to consider how your art will continue to thrive even after your project is finished. If you’re building a plant wall, you’ll need to consider the watering system and if it will be possible to fertilize your plants or change out the soil every once in a while. 

If you’ve previously worked with polyester canvases, you might find that cotton or linen canvases react differently to your paint or strokes. You’ll also find that natural pigments might not be able to create the same color schemes you have worked with when using synthetic paints or materials. 

Some materials might also fade or change over time. Natural materials can be more prone to oxidation and fading, so you should also consider durability when selecting your materials. Finally, you might explore using upcycled or recycled materials, which may require some extra work on the front end of your project to prepare them for use. 

Finding Your Biophilic Art Niche

You’re already on your way to becoming a biophilic artist now that you understand the movement and have learned a little bit about some famous biophilic artists. From here, you should dive into even more research and try to answer questions like: 

  • What artists am I most drawn to?
  • In what way would I like to collaborate with nature?
  • Do I want to work with living materials?
  • How do I like connecting with nature in my day-to-day life?
  • What are some of my favorite memories with nature?
  • Where do I see myself displaying my artwork? 

You might also consider what sort of statement you’d like to make with your art or if you can use it to explore any of your current emotions, values or common themes in your life. Often, biophilic art is connected to themes such as mental health, mindfulness, and ecological awareness, as nature is known to have a positive effect on both human well-being and the planet. Completing mentally friendly crafts and artistic projects has also been proven to boost mental health. 

If you’re not sure where to start, pencil some time into your week to devote an hour to brainstorming project ideas, potential materials and themes you’d like to explore. You can also jumpstart your own creation process by doing an art challenge or putting your own spin on a nature-inspired work of art you’ve seen before. If you’re ready to get started right away, here are a few biophilic art project ideas you might enjoy:

The Future of Biophilic Art 

As the world begins to reflect on the impact of human consumption on the Earth, more businesses and individuals are considering how they can make an ecological difference through both small and large actions. Biophilic design has become increasingly popular in the world of architecture and city planning, with projects like the Eden Project, The High Line, and the Barbican Conservatory emerging all over the world.

While biophilia is still at its beginning phases of popularity in the art world, it is expected to grow alongside other eco-conscious trends and movements like upcycling and shopping secondhand. 

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Written By
Calli Zarpas

Calli Zarpas

Producer & Writer by occupation. Ceramicist & Newsletter Editor by avocation.

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