New Blooms. Inspired by the work of Philippe Descola, a French anthropologist who analyzes the Western dichotomy of humans versus non-humans, New Blooms responds to natural and unnatural decimation of the vegetal world. Reflecting on this dichotomy, New Blooms is a visual poem about trees in three verses. In the first installation, a crocheted neon-green chain attached to a single branch on the floor 'bleeds' along the architecture of the space to display the sublime interconnectedness of life. In the second verse, the 'common thread' suspends various root species -- painted in an iridescent medium -- from the ceiling. The levitating roots resemble upside-down trees. Like Tibetan prayer flags, they call for spiritual help as they wait for regrowth. In the third verse, drawings of sorrowful eyes from historical religious art fill the cut surfaces of wall-mounted tree trimmings, conferring human emotions onto harmed vegetal life, begging for compassion. New Blooms meditates on the extraordinary mysteries of nature in the face of human intervention and offers hope: the possibility of sustainable symbiosis.

Pauline Galiana

Pauline Galiana