A new naturalism is afoot in the world of art. Science is fueling many artistic imaginations, and the result is a reimagined naturalism responding to contemporary needs. Let this trend grow, for it will be good for both art and science.
Lamina Project, an online New York-based art gallery focused on the bridge between art and science, is pushing this trend with great effectiveness. The gallery draws together artists who make compelling art taking inspiration from science’s cutting edge as it reveals more deeply nature’s underlying processes. I saw last year Lamina’s exhibitions in three art fairs in New York, and had conversations with the artists showing their work (1). This experience set me on an exploratory journey through the art-science nexus.
Art Activations by Three Female Artists
Suspended at the fair's entrance is a site-specific sculptural installation by Shanthi Chandrasekar presented by LAMINAproject. Titled Cosmic Vibrations - Raining Gold, the work is inspired by various creation theories and discoveries in cosmology. Made of metal rings, wire, and monofilament, the work presents two neutron stars that merge and form gold.
Chandrasekar is a multidisciplinary artist trained in the traditional art forms of Kolam and Tanjore-style painting. She combines geometrical abstraction, visual interpretations, and traditional arts to delve into the study of the origin of the universe and search for ultimate truths.
Fairgoers entering Volta were greeted with a glittery installation by Shanthi Chandrasekar titled “Cosmic Vibrations – Raining Gold” (2023). I remember that the self-taught sculpture artist wowed fair-goers at Art on Paper in September with her meticulously hole-punched ceiling fixtures. But for this exhibition, Chandrasekar traded paper for metal to create an ethereal hanging sculpture made of gold wiring and variously sized rings. Like much of her work, the installation references cosmological and philosophical concepts, such as kilonovas — the rare collision of two neutron stars that produces heavy metals.
The display was led by Lamina Project, a New York gallery that focuses on the crossover between art and science. Lamina Project’s own gallery presentation continued to lead to more intriguing artwork based on mathematical patterns and microbiological research by artists Jody Rasch and Mark Pomilio, alongside additional mesmerizing works by Chandrasekar.
Although art and science might be viewed as diametrically opposite, artists and scientists seek answers to the same fundamental questions, trying to understand and visualize the invisible and what it means to be human. Some of the most innovative artists working today are fusing art and science, taking inspiration from science and using scientific techniques in their work. A compelling exhibition at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Samuel J. Wood Library in New York, entitled Seeing Within: Art Inspired by Science, features the work of Jody Rasch, Cheryl Safran, and Julia Buntaine Hoel who use the visual language and findings of biology to create artwork that invites viewers to explore and appreciate the beauty and mystery of biology.
BUSHWICK/BED-STUY – Arts in Bushwick hosted the 13th annual Bushwick Open Studios over the weekend, welcoming the public into the workspaces of more than 200 artists in and around the neighborhood.
Bklyner visited the studios of nine local artists. Check out their work below and read their thoughts on working in the area and participating in the 2019 Bushwick Open Studios.