Human |Nature:
Selections from the Kim Foster Gallery
Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, Detroit, Michigan
The concept of human nature speaks to psychological characteristics that form a connection between all humans. Examining nature through our senses is a universal characteristic that embeds us into the culture of humanity. Humans have a tendency to seek understanding as a form of order or grounding. Our innate inquiry into the hows and whys of nature and natural occurrences compel us to create our own human interpretations. How do we interact with nature? What is our viewpoint of natural elements despite our interference? How do we attempt to manipulate nature and understand it? What is our effect on nature and our connection to it?
Human nature reflects our natural inclination toward understanding and representation. As we navigate through our own experiences, we create narratives through representation that relies on understanding the world around us and our place in it. We visualize, manipulate, and attempt to master nature as our unending quest for understanding forces us to interact with it. It is our human nature to create. Not only do we find inspiration in viewing nature, but we also create as reflections of our experiences.
Although an obvious aesthetic connection cannot be made between these artists, a thematic one can. Each artist, in their own way, utilizes their art to question nature and to express experiences and understandings of natural elements and human nature. This exhibition examines the collective incessant journey toward understanding our connection to nature and how as humans, we are naturally drawn to consider these connections. Thus, the exhibition simultaneously reflects an examination of our human nature, as well as our human connection to nature itself.
As we center nature within our logical human understanding, we allow nature to play a role in what we produce. These artists have created their own interpretations of their experiences by working through their theories of nature and natural occurrences, while allowing nature to take a supporting role.
Participating Artists:
Antonio Petracca | Christian Faur | Dan Hernandez | Jim Toia | Margaret Evangeline |
Moon Beom | Paul Glabicki | Susan Chrysler White | Susan Wides | Sydney Blum
