Beyond the green: Approaches and practices on the objectification of nature

Throughout history, nature has occupied a central place in art not only as a vital source of life but also as a fundamental reference of aesthetic inspiration. Since the 20th late century, environmental and philosophical debates have presented nature as an ethical and political actor in art. As a result of this transformation, artists have developed intervention-based strategies by bringing nature or its fragments into galleries, museums, and other controlled spaces. Organic elements have been exhibited either in their existing forms or transformed into new constructs shaped by natural references. The study examines the practices shaping the transformation of nature into an art object through current theoretical approaches and reveals the resulting ethical, ontological, and ideological tensions.In this framework, the article employs critical discourse analysis to examine the works of Stéphane Thidet, Mark Dion, and Carlos Garaicoa revealing practices of objectifying nature and the ideological perspectives behind them.