In all of these works Greenfort demonstrates that he is less interested in animals per se than in an expanded notion of ecology, one that encompasses cultural history and sociopolitics as well as natural resources. It is also apparent that he plays with notions of ecology at the level of the site, appropriating strategies from site-specific art. To make the fox portraits, for instance, the artist created a shelter for his camera out of materials found nearby. Greenfort often makes use of resources that derive from and draw attention to his immediate environment, gently pushing viewers toward a more reflexive understanding of the world around them.
The artist’s interest in ecology becomes even more apparent in works that do not contain such obvious natural references. An example of this is BONAQUA Kondensationswürfel (BONAQUA Condensation Cube), 2005, which references Hans Haacke’s Condensation Cube, 1963–65. As in Haacke’s work, a clear box is partially filled with water, creating a sealed environment that evaporates or condenses as the room temperature changes. However, Greenfort’s box is filled with BonAqua, a branded drinking water marketed by Coca-Cola, thereby opening up Haacke’s closed system to issues such as the privatization of public resources.
more from Artforum here.