ARTIST STATEMENT
My work starts from my fascination with the intricacy and diverse beauty of nature. I combine images of species and formations outside their natural biospheres, producing speculative or otherwise non-existent relationships to emphasize unseen connections. Everything in nature is connected. There are dire results with the loss of species, chains of dependency, predation or other relationships often resulting in a chain reaction when one falls. Within the Anthropocene, pollution and man-made climate crisis are the biggest factors in the loss of habitats and environments, often unrecognized until it is too late to implement change.
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The catalyst for the direction of my work came in 1992, when on a visit to Prague, I came across an early 15th century collection of natural elements. In German, called Wunderkammer, they consisted of samples of natural history, collected by travelers from exotic places and brought back to be sold to the royal and wealthy families as treasures. Under the assemblage of colonial power, complex relational images of the world came to be synthesized within a single glass cabinet, before the totalizing taxonomies of Western science came to separate them via lineage instead of subtler relationships. Precursors to museums, these collections were sorted by relevant materials, and eventually opened to larger study and perusal by scholar classes and the general public. The collection in Prague, however, was not categorized. On display in a single cabinet was a jumble of treasures, each curious and wondrous in its own way, pointing to the possibility of other affinities between its contents. This image affected me deeply and I desired to make images in the same understanding of contrast and connection, repurposing its sentiment for the present moment. As ecosystems struggle against destruction in the Anthropocene, making these images is a way for me to study and appreciate the diverse beauty and resilience of each species. I marvel at the evolution of nature to adapt to survival demands. Seahorses and mantises mimic leaves or seaweeds to become invisible: moths and butterflies take on the forms and patterns of other poisonous species to be unappetizing to predators. These are just a few examples. I find hope in our unknown, beyond current scientific taxonomy - last year there were 1000 new species discovered in the world. Species that are yet to be studied and understood.
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As a visual artist, I use my images as my tools of communication to talk about my reverence and discovery. My hope is to bring the same introspection to the viewer, to create a sense of wonder and recognition that inspires concerned action toward preserving the seen and unseen diversity in our shared world.