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THEME: NATURE, SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

Art inspired by nature and natural forms; art that critiques science and the scientific perspective; art that calls attention to environmental issues; art that comes out of artists’ and scientists’ collaborations; art that plays with the graphics of science. 

William Chyr is an artist with a background in physics. He “creates platforms and systems that replicate processes found in nature." Much of his work involves the inflation of thousands of balloons to create large and complex sculptures. These sculptures are based on a variety of biological systems, from the biology of jellyfish to the interactions between neurons (williamchyr.com).

Amy Francschini is a founding member of Futurefarmers - a collective of artists, activists, architects and researchers who “use various media to deconstruct systems to visualize and understand their intrinsic logics; food systems, public transportation, education. Through this disassembly they find new narratives and reconfigurations that form alternatives to the principles that once dominated these systems. They have created temporary schools, books, bus tours, and large-scale exhibitions internationally." (futurefarmers.com)

To the time-honored and universal tradition of hybrid animals, Thomas Grunefeld brings his one twist: real, stuffed animals with mixed body parts. In this work, Grunefeld harks back to the European tradition of taxidermy in Natural History Museums while alluding to contemporary issues such as genetic engineering. Hybrid animals are mythical animals with special powers. Grunefeld’s Misfits, on the other hand, seem to be powerless and grotesque oddities.

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A biologist and an artist, Isabella Kirkland illustrates natural phenomena with the precision of 18th-century European-style hyper-realism to comment on current environmental issues and phenomena. "Nudibranchia" and "Egg Cases," pictured here, highlight the beauty and variety of a particular class of animal: Nudibranches. Nudibranches are sea slugs. There are over 3000+ species of them living in the ocean. "Egg Masses" are Nudibranch eggs. Notice the natural-history style composition of these paintings  (isabellakirkland.com).

Kate MacDowell makes delicate porcelain sculptures that combine plant and animal forms with human forms. These often surreal images allude to the human connection to nature and how we, human and all living things, are fragile, particularly in this age of climate change and other environmental stressors (katemacdowell.com).

When she places crocheted animals in boxes or on plaques with labels and such, Hiné Mizushima taps into the forms and visual vocabulary of science, in this case natural history museums, to poke fun at that tradition. Underneath this playful switcheroo is an important notion: The way humans consider, categorize and dominate other creatures (hinemizushima.com).

Crystal Morey is concerned with climate change, habitat loss and humans’ connection to nature. Her porcelain hybrid creatures (human and animal) personify the balance and interdependence of living creatures.  (crystalmorey.com).

Intricate waves of spike patterns grace the monumental ceramic forms of Zemer Pelid. These works celebrate “the beauty and the brutality” of nature. They are sumptuous and gorgeous while they are menacing (zemerpelid.com).

Laurel Roth Hope created a series of natural history-style manikins of common pigeons and dressed them in costumes to transform them into birds that have gone extinct. This gesture memorializes the extinct birds and suggests that the common birds we have now, which are often regarded as pests, are vulnerable and valuable. (thisiscolossal.com).

Elin Thomas crochets sculptures in mold forms and places them in petri dishes or on rocks. Her work calls attention to the beautiful minuscule natural forms we don’t often observe closely or appreciate (elinthomas.com).

In her playful installations, Amy Youngs uses living organisms to draw our attention to nature and our relationship to it. Her artwork involve computers, video and sound to endear us to under-loved creatures, such as worms and crickets. Youngs also focuses on natural cycles and the inherent beauty of systems. Her "Cute Parasites" address how humans intervene to make natural forms more human-like and loveable. (hypernatural.com)

William Chyr
Amy Francschini
Thomas Grunefeld
Isabella Kirkland
Kate MacDowell
Hine Mizushima
Crystal Morey
Zemer Pelid
Laurel Roth Hope
Elin Thomas
Amy Youngs
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