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Biophilia: An Art Exhibit Exploring Interconnectedness

New Hearth art show highlights humanity's relationship with the natural world
biophila

“Feeling oneness with the spirit of nature, inhaling lush pine and mossy forests and watching the dance of waves and ripples of water that flow across the rocky earth. Wandering in awe through ever-changing landscapes and hearing the voices of Earth’s many creatures, calling out to one another is what inspires me to create.” - Carly Bouwman

The Hearth’s new exhibit brings together the work of two artists from the Lower Mainland: Carly Bouwman and Lisa MacLean. Inspired by the psychological need of humans to be in contact with the natural world and its creatures, this show is an invitation to explore the preciousness of all life, human and other-than-human, in this beautiful but endangered world.

Carly is a painter. She paints to connect viewers with the magical spirit of nature and uplift one’s soul. Her art merges together a variety of silhouettes and realistic depictions of wildlife figures embedded in textured and abstract landscapes. Her journey through the natural world led her to bring focus on non-human beings and to reconsider their value and perspective through her paintings.

Lisa McLean makes art with digital and infrared photography, video, sculpture, and installations. In Biophilia, she presents a series of digital layered images along with small sculptures made of biodegradable plastic. Her artistic research is motivated by an awareness of our fragility and highlights the intertwined web of life to which we belong. She creates allegorical scenes by overlapping animal and human bodies with endangered landscapes and organic elements.

“The non-human entities with whom we share the world are integral to our psychic wellness, our communities, our cultures, and our ability to thrive in a human-dominated world”, says MacLean.

Together, they use their art to shine light on the vast diversity of life that shares the Earth with us. Beyond languages, it invites us to nurture a deeper connection and a clearer understanding of the living world which we are part of.

Biophilia is on at the Hearth from May 17 to 29. There’s an Artist pARTy on May 20 from 6 to 8 pm with bar service, snacks, and DJ Yeshe.