Artist Statement

The essentialist position of nature as “truth,” and art’s “duty” to closely observe and translate it as such, is no longer regarded as viable for contemporary artists. Instead of simply re-presenting a Romantic failure, my botanical watercolour paintings, collages, and stop-motion animations serve as critiques of our continued human drive for dominance over nature, as well as our complacency towards that dominance. These works act as propositions for botanical art and nature cinema in a world dominated by a Marxist “second nature” – a virtual simulation of pristine “first nature” wrought by the revolution in information, biotechnologies, and consumer culture. My art practice explores how both art historical constructs and scientific objective means of observing the natural world have shaped our western concept of nature. My work attempts to operate between two Romantic realms: fascination with mastery over natural processes and unease with what our technology might unleash.