As we welcome a new month, leaves begin to fall and colour palettes shift. November encourages us to reflect on change and the quiet, subtle beauty of transformation. This month’s art theme is Decay & Transformation in Art, a celebration of the temporary, the evolving, and the seasonal dance between creation and extinction.
For our first feature, we draw inspiration from Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire, a breathtaking example of temporary land art. Constructed from natural materials, the piece is destined to decay and return to the earth. Goldsworthy’s work reminds us that transformation is not only inevitable but also profoundly beautiful, capturing the transient magic of nature’s cycles.
Next, we turn to Anselm Kiefer’s Strike. In this work, Kiefer combines lead with a photograph he intentionally overexposed in the fixer, partially destroying the emulsion. The resulting streaks evoke a dramatic “lightning bolt” that bridges sky and landscape, destruction and creation, decay and transformation. Through this tension, Kiefer reflects on the fragile yet powerful interaction between matter, memory, and time.
We also highlight Gela Mikava’s Figurative Abstract Painting, a mesmerising exploration of transformation through colour and form. Layers of pigment fade and overlap, evoking the subtle beauty of change. The piece captures the delicate, almost meditative process of transition, reminding us that decay is not merely an ending, it is an opening to new possibilities.
Finally, we feature El Anatsui, a Ghanaian sculptor whose monumental works transform discarded materials, bottle caps, metal, and other found objects, into shimmering tapestries. Through Anatsui’s process, decay is turned into renewal: what was once discarded gains new life as flowing, transformative art.
From natural cycles to chemical reactions, from layered pigments to recycled metals, transformation surrounds us, inviting us to pause, reflect, and celebrate the transient beauty of change.