Monumental Sustainability in The Hands of David Popa: A Homage to The Earth Through Land Art Frescoes

1980’s born New Yorker, currently residing in Finland, David Popa is renowned for his grand-scale earth murals that profoundly capture the intersection of nature, sustainability and creativity. A few artists were able to achieve such a profound and seamless synthesis in the land art installations. Popa transforms natural landscapes into visually stunning artworks that are captivating and awe-inspiring. His practice is deeply rooted in the principles of sustainability and environmental consciousness, making his art as much a statement about the planet as it is a celebration of its beauty. 

David Popa, Exodus, 2020, Espoo, Finland. Photo Courtesy: David Popa, mtart.agency.

Popa’s transition to the monumental land art was an attempt to escape the confines of a canvas that he mastered during his fine arts education. Initially, he found his refuge in street art where the spacious walls offered an ample playground for artistic flow and with little time constraint for creation. Street art also got him accustomed to the fact of the ephemerality of the artworks leaving only with digital traces of such as photos or videos. This spurred his love for impermanence in the land art. However, it is Popa’s intrinsic connection with the nature that converted him into the land art eventually and irreversibly, forging his signature style. 

Transitioning from graffiti walls onto the Earth and from spray cans to natural materials as his medium, Popa’s impermanent works are designed to interact with the environment and eventually fade back into it at the will of mighty nature. His materials are often reflective of the location. By sourcing his palette directly from the environment, Popa ensures that the artworks are deeply connected to the places they inhabit. His medium is non-toxic natural pigment, predominantly comprised of soil, chalk, minerals, charcoal, ochres mixed up with water or other natural fluids like wine. The artworks incorporate natural elements such as rocks, sand, earth and water. The lack of binding agents makes his art truly ephemeral and sustainable creation with no trace left behind. This approach not only reduces the ecological footprint of his work, but also enhances its integration with the surrounding landscape, creating a harmonious dialogue between art and nature. 

David Popa at work. Photo Courtesy: David Popa, mtart.agency.

His monumental land artworks are transient and significant. Ephemeral pieces reflect the evanescence of our existence and explore deep enigmas of our being. Popa’s land art frescoes are monumental in scale, often spanning vast terrains. From kinetic ice floes to intricate glacier crevasses. However, it is the natural effacement that ultimately makes up the essential theme of his work. Popa’s works makes viewers reflect on the perception of scale, time and interaction with nature.  

Every artwork is created with emotional depth and profundity. His process entails the co-creation with nature and is an “emotional experience” for David. He chooses the extraordinary place, often an otherworldly landscape, that is infused with the sense of thrill and compulsion where the art storylines can unfold in the least expected ways. He sometimes spends days or even weeks immersed in nature as he meticulously plans and executes his pieces. This immersive approach allows him to capture the essence of the landscape, ensuring that each fresco is a true reflection of its surroundings. He then uses different editing programs to examine how and what subjects may fit the place. Whilst being guided by his gut feeling, the subjects are often born out of the location inspiration and the purpose, and the meaning are often revealed throughout the process.  

Power of the Earth 

‘Le Pouvoir de la Terre’ or the ‘Power of the Earth’, is one of David Popa’s most compelling projects that originated out of collaboration with the Chateau Cantenac Brown, the vineyards in Margaux, France. The campaign was aimed at spreading the awareness of the new raw earth cellars to house the wines at the Chateau Cantenac Brown. Situated in an expansive terrain of the chateau, this fresco depicts a powerful image of a human hands holding the fruit, seemingly emerging from the earth, creating an illusion of the earth breathing life into the artwork. This colossal fresco, created from earth, chalk and the vineyard wine lees is considered one of the largest artworks ever created with wine. It epitomises Popa’s capacity to create art that resonates deeply with its natural surroundings.  

Aware of the frailty of the environment and the impermanence of the chosen medium Popa brings dynamism into his work by painting fast, with a sense of immediacy and energy. The fresco washed away with a rain within a day however left an imprint that urged viewers to recognise the vitality of the Earth, the transience of nature and our dependence on it.  

David Popa, Power of the Earth, Chateau Cantenac Brown, Margaux, France, 2022. Photo Courtesy: David Popa.  

The ‘Hands of Sands’ Project AlUla 

Another remarkable work by Popa is the ‘Hands of Sands’- one of the Desert X Alula art projects, a site-specific installation in the ancient ethereal desert of Saudi Arabia. The natural fresco depicting nurturing hands, skilfully rendered with the natural dyes of earthly ochres, chalk and water, is an unparallel land art that stretches almost 100 meters. Situated in historical Hegra, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, this ephemeral artwork was initiated as a part of the campaign on preservation of the cultural landmarks of Saudi Arabia, commissioned by the Royal Commission of AlUla. 

The project not only highlights the timeless beauty of the AlUla landscape but also draws attention to the delicate balance between human creativity and nature's vastness. The hands symbolise both the capacity to nurture and the potential to destroy, serving as a poignant reminder of our responsibility to protect and sustain our environment paying homage to the rich history and fragility of Saudi Arabian historical sites. Popa uses drones to document his process and from the aerial perspective turns the territory into a living story that is truly breathtaking.  

David Popa, Hands of Sands, Hegra, AlUla, Saudi Arabia, 2024. Photo Courtesy: The Royal Commision of AlUla.  

Popa embodies his unique vision of blending nature with artistic expression, creating a symbiotic relationship between the two. The temporary nature of his work shakes up the conventional ideas about art conservation and appreciation, implying that the art’s worth is grounded in the capacity to produce transient interventions influencing our perception of the environment. 

David Popa’s artistic ethos is firmly embedded in the commitment to sustainable creativity. His works are designed to minimise environmental impact, utilising natural materials that fade with the natural forces without altering the landscape. This approach not only preserves the integrity of the environment but also conveys an underlying message about environmental conservation, the need for greater harmony and the sought-after humanity's relationship with nature. By creating art that is both beautiful and thought-provoking, he aims to inspire a sense of stewardship and responsibility towards the Earth. 

David Popa’s land art frescoes are a powerful fusion of artistic vision and environmental consciousness and exemplar of how art can be used to champion sustainability. Through his monumental works, such as ‘Power of the Earth’ and ‘The Hands of Sands’ he invites us to contemplate the beauty and fragility of our planet, encouraging a deeper connection with the natural world. As we face the challenges of climate change, artists like Popa play a crucial role in raising awareness and inspiring action. In his hands, art becomes not just a reflection of the planet, but a beacon for its preservation. 

Sources: 

[1]. https://www.davidpopaart.com/power-of-the-earth 

[2]. https://mtart.agency/david-popa/  

[3]. David Popa Makers Place. https://makersplace.com/davidpopa/gallery/created  

[4]. The National. “David Popa’s Striking ‘Vanishing Artwork’ Guards Ancient Tomb in Hegra.” https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2024/02/02/david-popa-hegra-alula/. 

[5]. Time out. '“AlUla’s new Sharaan Resort is being carved into the mountains.” (2024). https://www.timeoutjeddah.com/news/sharaan-resort-alula  

Anastassia Taylor

En Plein Air Co-Editor, MADE IN BED