Version 3.2

Ecofeminism or death. Ecofeminist art as a tool of practicing degrowth principles

The aim of the proposed paper is to analyze how the principles of degrowth are applied, practiced and experimented with in ecofeminist artistic practices. Taking as an example the activities of historical and contemporary ecofeminist artists, I argue that these kinds of practices are a perfect tool for developing a vision of a good and sustainable life for everyone within planetary limits.
In the first part of the paper, I highlight the connections between ecofeminism, first formulated by the French theorist Françoise d'Eaubonne in 1974, and degrowth. They both share not only the roots – discussion on political ecology and critique of development and technical advancement in 1970s France – but also the focus on how humans and more-than-human world are exploited in the name of the ideology of limitless economic growth, as well as many other observations, principles and postulated solutions.
In the second part, I analyze particular creative practices developed by ecofeminist artists since the 1970s, highlighting their relations to degrowth principles. I focus on how they experiment with and apply the ideas of moderation, care and commons; expose the link between patriarchy, ideology growth and culture of overproduction and overconsumption; foster the attention towards the more-than-human world; and propose a vision of a good and sustainable life for everyone. I also underline how these practices, often neglected or looked up upon in the artworld, escape the narrow definitions of art and intervene in the real world using art as a tool for advocacy, activism and civil disobedience.