Contemporary Art and climate change: aesthetics toward sustainability

The chapter analyzes how contemporary artistic aesthetics are employed in European ecomuseums—particularly in Italy—to promote sustainability and address climate change through aesthetic approaches. Through theoretical analysis and a review of case studies, the text demonstrates how artistic practices have been adopted by ecomuseums to foster community participation, enhance local heritage, and communicate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to biodiversity, responsible consumption, and social justice. The author identifies two main aesthetic approaches: a conceptual one, linked to the thematic content of the SDGs, and a sensorial one, in which beauty serves as a vehicle for belonging and social transformation. The chapter highlights the role of ecomuseums as cultural agents capable of integrating art, education, and ecological activism in response to the climate crisis.