What if artists aren’t here to fix the world, but to reveal what’s really going on inside it.
In this episode of Extraordinary Creatives, I’m joined by Filipa Ramos, a curator, writer, and educator whose work reframes art not as commentary on ecology, but as an ecological practice in itself.
Filipa is Artistic Director of LOOP Festival Barcelona, Lecturer at the Academy of Art and Design in Basel, and the author of The Artist as Ecologist, Contemporary Art, and the Environment.
In this conversation, Filipa shares vivid examples of inspiring artists and artworks that help us think differently about our relationship with animals and nature. We talk about why artists are often better at raising problems than offering fixes. Why responsibility can immobilise creativity. How beauty, affect, and emotion still matter. And how working relationally, slowly, and collaboratively can be a powerful alternative to extractive, spectacle-driven models of success.
This conversation is for artists who feel the weight of responsibility and expectation. For anyone worried their work isn’t doing enough - for those searching for ways to make art that is rigorous, ethical, and deeply alive.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Art does not need to rush toward answers. Your work does not need to explain itself in a single sentence to be valid; it’s allowed to be complex, relational, and full of questions that unfold over time.
Ecology isn’t a theme you illustrate; it’s a way of relating – letting the places you move through, and the animals and people you share them with, reshape what you notice and how you see it.
The promise of big institutions can be hollow. Often, real agency comes through the platforms you build with others, not the ones that “choose” you.
BEST MOMENTS
“Artists are not here to provide solutions, but to complicate the story. To expose fragility. To create space for shared sensing, shared listening, shared not knowing.”
“That’s why art is so important. It’s not trying to remediate. It’s not trying to provide a simple answer. It’s attempting to find alternatives.”
“The most meaningful, long-lasting work often happens outside the biggest institutions, through collaboration, care, and time.”
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.instagram.com/filipaaaaaaaaaaa
https://loop-barcelona.com
https://www.fhnw.ch/de/personen/filipa-ramos
PODCAST HOST BIO
With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.
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This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
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