This exhibition is the result of exchanging ideas and sharing experiences (both in words and in visual terms) on the relationship between spirit and nature. The artists offer a variety of personal contributions, reflecting the infinite abundance of reflections this topic offers; we can look at each piece as the crystallization of a stream of physical, emotional and mental energy that is intimately related to the journey from Nature to Spirit. The resulting visual dialogue in which singular pieces converse with one another is building a shared space where forms converge to create new relationships and possibilities.
We live in a society that is predominantly oriented by materialism, rationalism and its technological advancements; with an exaggerated emphasis on consumption. Nature is considered a mere subordinate to humankind, both as a source of raw materials and as a container for our waste. Fortunately, there is also an alternative view, which originates simultaneously from surviving native cultures and the historical ancestral past of “advanced” societies, where humans are regarded as one of the many intimately connected parts of a whole. This perspective considers nature as an infinitely complex network of interdependent relationships, composed by an incredible variety of organisms that display intelligent behavior.
Nature as a whole nourishes, heals and provides a sustainable environment to humans, and in certain circumstances it can provide even more: Since the first cave paintings with therianthropic figures humans have recorded how under the right circumstances Nature can offer a path to access the nonphysical dimensions of life, where the confines of ordinary sensory perception are transcended. Even today we experience that once we rediscover a profound sense of relatedness, nature becomes a refuge where our individuality can become part of a whole.
In current times it is important to consider how these experiences generate meaning, how we are all of Nature: through developing this personal connection we can access a very fundamental part of ourselves and embody a sense of relatedness to each other and our world.
This exhibition reflects on how this relationship between spirit and nature influences disparate artistic practices; personal experiences and perspectives become embodied in these objects according to each of the artists’ sensibilities, sparking a vibrant dialogue that hopefully is very much needed today.
Matteo Callegari, New York, 2022
