Conservation

Ceramic Houseplants by Ariana Heinzman Revel in the Absurdity of Domestication

Over the centuries, humanity’s relationship with wilderness has becoming increasingly fraught, as we continue to diminish natural green spaces in favor of roads, buildings, and manicured lawns. For Vashon Island-based artist Ariana Heinzman, our connection—or disconnection—to nature plays a central role in her vibrant ceramics practice. For her current solo exhibition, Habitat for a Fake […]

Conservation

Otherworldly Flora and Futuristic Creatures by the Haas Brothers Illuminate the Nasher Sculpture Center Grounds

A bizarre botanical collection sprouts from the grounds at Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. A tall, spindly specimen with a droopy head illuminates a walkway, while a sprawling tree lush with strawberries looms large in a gallery. Patinaed in an otherworldly blue, these cast bronze sculptures seem like they’ve emerged from a radioactive swamp or […]

Conservation

Silhouettes and Surreal Drawings Echo Strife and Self-Preservation in Valerie Hammond’s ‘Dreamers Awake’

According to Greek mythology, Daphne was the descendant of river gods. Born with a surging hunger for freedom and autonomy, the nymph committed herself to living a life rooted in solitude as she poured herself into deep passions like nature and hunting. Although Daphne devoted a great deal of time to exploring her tranquil surroundings, […]

Conservation

Petah Coyne’s Wax Sculptures and Installations Vacillate Between Beauty and Monstrosity

Each week, Petah Coyne reads two or three books. Along with film and the natural world, literature has had a profound impact on the artist throughout her decades-long career, as she references Flannery O’Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, Zelda Fitzgerald, and numerous other women in her works. Coyne gravitates toward texts rooted in feminist principles, which […]

Conservation

Marc Quinn’s Monumental Flowers Invite Us to Reflect Upon Our Evolving Relationship with Nature

From bronze, chrome, and silicone, Marc Quinn’s larger-than-life botanicals emerge with delicate precision. The exhibition Light into Life at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London continues the artist’s exploration of the boundaries between the natural and artificial, the living and non-living, sexuality, and the passage of time. Quinn often uses a mirrored effect to literally reflect […]

Conservation

Marc Quinn’s Monumental Flowers Invite Us to Reflect Upon Our Evolving Relationship with Nature

From bronze, chrome, and silicone, Marc Quinn’s larger-than-life botanicals emerge with delicate precision. The exhibition Light into Life at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London continues the artist’s exploration of the boundaries between the natural and artificial, the living and non-living, sexuality, and the passage of time. Quinn often uses a mirrored effect to literally reflect […]

Conservation

Timeless Mesoamerican Desert Landscapes Glow in Anna Ortiz’s Vivid Paintings

In the dreamlike landscapes of Anna Ortiz, distant volcanoes erupt and the moon eclipses the sun behind sprawling saguaros, agaves, and prickly pears. Through a highly saturated, nearly monochromatic palette with a limited value range, the Brooklyn-based artist explores how low contrast can “render the time of day ambiguous,” she says. “With any luck, this […]

Conservation

Monumental Plants Nourish and Flourish in Adele Renault’s Lush Paintings

All images © Adele Renault, shared with permission Nature walks are Adele Renault’s main source of inspiration. Spending her time between Los Angeles and Brussels, the artist (previously) encounters varying landscapes that catalyze her practice. While the rugged urban terrain of southern California bolsters desert plants and palms, the Belgian countryside bears lush vegetation and […]

Conservation

Megan Bogonovich’s Exuberant Ceramic Sculptures Find Joy in Coexistence

All images © Grace Cooper Dodds, shared with permission Protruding in a meandering fashion like tree branches or the sprawling overgrowth of flowering vines, the flamboyant botanical sculptures that sprout from Megan Bogonovich’s Norwich studio capture the wondrous moments of when “bucolic tips over into batty.” Her workspace is tucked in a wooded area, leaving Bogonovich […]