Biophilia | collected tree bark, latex and nails | 132 x 192 x 2 | Commissions upon request

In April 2020, with the global health pandemic restricting my studio practice, I sought refuge in the newly budding earth along the Mississippi River. Impelled by a deep, subconscious need to bring fallen tree bark to my studio, I meticulously arranged and installed each piece over a brilliant magenta wall. 

The entire process was filled with a generative, visceral tension for me. I didn’t know exactly why or what I was creating, only that I had to respond to the earth speaking through my body. When I stepped back to look at the completed installation, I knew I had witnessed the bark coming back to life. Biophilia is a reminder that there is regeneration after allowing myself to fall apart.

In May 2021, I brought this installation to salonlb. in Chicago as Break / Breathe. Upon deinstallation in May 2022, all of the bark has been respectfully returned to the woods.