Doug Land.
Working extensively with living plants, natural materials, and sustainable practices
*
environmental stewardship meets aesthetic expression
CV
Education
Texas Christian University (TCU) 2022
MFA Studio Art, SculptureSavannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) 2009
Bachelor of Fine ArtsExhibitions
2024 Future Present Past, AURORA Biennial, Dallas TX2023 Burning Women: Save the Planet, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Dallas TX2023 Flowering, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Dallas TX2023 Garden Party, SP/N Gallery, UTD, Richardson TX2022 Gray Rainbow, Blind Alley Projects, Ft Worth TX2022 Folly, Texas Christian University, Ft Worth TX2021 Playground, University of Dallas, Irving TX2021 Wild, Erin Cluley Projects, Dallas TX2021 Human / Nature, Fort Worth Community Arts Center2020 Softer Fields, Texas Christian University, Ft Worth TX2020 Front Yard Museum, installation, Dallas, TX2019 In Good Taste, Fabrication Studios, Dallas, Texas2018 Metallängen: The Metal Meadow, Tarrant County College, Ft Worth TX_____contact for full exhibition history
Sea Net
2023
60 x 3 x 100 in
Wood, denim, dye
Burning Women: Save the Planet, Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Dallas TX
This commissioned work for Burning Women, held at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center, merges environmental commentary with textile and sculpture. Crafted from found lumber and branches, the piece extends my belief that to save the planet, we must turn our attention to the sea. In response to the fashion industry being the second largest polluter after oil, discarded denim was re-sewn and trimmed into a delicate, lace-like wreath of 37 fish, arranged in concentric circles. The indigo hues, applied in a watercolor style, create a sense of fluidity and harmony, evoking the movement of water. This installation serves as both an aesthetic gesture and a call for ecological consciousness, transforming waste materials into a meditative work that highlights the interconnectedness of our actions with the environment.
The Hedlund
2024
48 x 48 x 200 in ea.
SPY, oak, bamboo, oil paint, wheels
Aurora Biennial, Future Present Past, Dallas TX
The Hedlund (2024) is the second iteration of an interactive sculpture that encourages reflection on growth, change, and letting go. The columns symbolize the members of Doug Land’s maternal family, each representing a pillar of memory and shared history. The movement of the columns originally mirrored the dynamic, sometimes chaotic nature of familial relationships—swaying but always returning to a point of rest. In this version, the symbolic meaning of the columns evolves, allowing for new interpretations that reflect the artist’s personal growth and shifting perspectives.
Grey Rainbow
2022
60 x 3 x 100 in
cotton, rip-stop Nylon, cord, steel, aluminum
Gray Rainbow, Blind Alley Projects, Ft Worth TX
This installation captures the delicate interplay between the internal and external worlds, using an array of metallic clouds stitched onto a navy-blue bed sheet—repurposed from my own bed. Suspended behind a pane of glass, the sheet floats weightlessly, creating an illusion of motion as light from the street outside reflects off distorted surfaces, momentarily animating the clouds. These fleeting reflections bring the chaos of the outside world into the stillness of the gallery, only to dissipate as the sun shifts, returning the bed sheet to its confined state. The work contemplates the ephemeral nature of connection, where fleeting moments of light bridge the gap between inner calm and outer turbulence.
Playground
2021
96 ft, dimensions variable
collected branches from various trees
Playground, University of Dallas, Irving TX
This installation transforms the gallery into a dynamic space, engaging viewers in a reflection on our often-overlooked relationships with nature. Using a playful approach, the piece highlights our societal tendency to ignore the 'low-hanging branch'—those elements of the natural world that are within reach yet frequently unnoticed. As part of the installation process, I entrusted the orientation of the branches to students, allowing the final arrangement to emerge organically. The work itself evolved over the course of the exhibition; the living limbs shed bark, the lichen dried, and wood-dwelling beetles left trails of sawdust on the gallery floor. This slow transformation mirrored the inevitable decay and renewal found in nature, inviting viewers to consider the fleeting nature of life and our place within it.
Omphalos Ave.
2021
84 x 24 x 60 in
concrete, wild plants, gravel, street detritus
Wild, Erin Cluley Projects, Dallas TX
This collaborative installation, created with Madeline Ortega, explores the tension between natural resilience and urban decay. Using "wild weeds" gathered from personal and often overlooked urban hideaways, we sought to reclaim a gallery space with these displaced elements. The recreation of a city curb—evoking a mythical street from a past era—served as the boundary between nature and urbanism, adorned with street debris such as cigarette butts, bottle caps, shards of glass, and fragmented auto parts. Despite our efforts to reestablish these plants within this constructed environment, they struggled to survive, a testament to the difficulty of sustaining life in inhospitable conditions. By the end of the exhibition, only golden husks remained, symbolizing both the fragility and persistence of nature in urban landscapes.
Folly
2022
Dimentions Variable
cotton, wood, neon, extension cords, wax, ash
Folly, Texas Christian University, Ft Worth TX
In my final exhibition at TCU, I explored my experience working in a garden. As an escape and an obsession, The Garden provided me with a unique point of view that helped me understand sculptures and the spaces around them. What came to fruition from my research into the history of gardening and artists who gardened was a folly. This became the title of my thesis exhibition. Using elements repeated throughout gardened spaces, I repeated the formality of these elements to highlight the separation between where our society occupies and where Nature inhabits. In this boundary between the two spaces, I created a space that was devoid of the typical greenery that defines a garden–yet, still adhered to the elements of Nature. In the absence of color and artificial light, the resulting installation resembled a mausoleum.
Front Yard Museum
2020
12 x 14 in, dimensions variable
outdoor aluminum signage
Terrain Gallery, Dallas TX
Front Yard Museum uses site specific labels places near four exemplary plant representing four traditional elements of the suburban landscape. Each label contain the plant's common name; Latin name; country of origin; average size; blooming period; ecological benefits; human uses; and any other interesting acts. I asked the viewer, "As you real the labels, and walk around the yard, think about the plants you see without labels. What might their history be? What are their interesting facts? What curated collection would your create, if this was your yard?" Like many museums, the suburban yard is now a collection of complex cultures and histories. True these plants decorate the exterior of our homes, but these plants also contain histories.
Moonlite
2021
60 x 3 x 100 in
LED light panel, post-it notes, cotton, cord
moonlite, Texas Christian University, Ft Worth TX
This piece, titled Moonlite, evolves as an installation over time. Each day of the two-week exhibit, ten delicately cut black moths were added to the space, gathering around a soft, glowing light source. The light, carefully diffused through cotton sheets, creates an ethereal atmosphere, casting intricate shadows and enhancing the illusion of movement. The gradual accumulation of the moths emphasizes the natural phenomenon of attraction to light, drawing viewers into the installation out of curiosity, inviting them to explore and follow the glow as the moths themselves might.