Brooklyn Informed: An Art of Decay

Compositions or decompositions? You be the judge. Either way, Andrew Casner’s compost paintings are nothing if not captivating. In this episode of BKI, the Brooklyn resident and urban farmer discusses his unusual artistic practice, which involves placing a canvas under a compost pile, then uncovering it a month later to reveal an abstract, agrarian piece of art. Originally inspired by the plume of steam released when turning over a compost pile, Casner’s artworks are natural by-products of the composting process, as acids from the decaying waste organics etch the canvas in unpredictable and beautiful ways.