UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The HUB-Robeson Galleries present "Expansive habitat, the rhizome of home," an exhibition of cyanotype quilts and soft sculptures by Vee Adams and Andrea Narno. The exhibit is on view in Art Alley from June 7 to Sept. 24.
In the exhibition, artists Vee Adams and Andrea Narno ask: "What is home when home moves and migrates as we do?" Through collaborative efforts, they reimagine and redefine the concept of connecting with a place by creating cyanotype quilts and soft sculptures.
Each work features photographic imagery that captures the plants they have cultivated, collected and treasured in their natural habitats. The artists delve into these diverse landscapes of “home” to contemplate the true meaning of growing roots in a place. Creating a tapestry of memories through threading images has given rise to a fresh sense of place which evokes a strong sense of belonging. Their works trace endless possibilities while strengthening their relationship with one another.
“In this work, we see homes as memories. Homes as amulets. Homes as living entities that expand and contract to allow our multitudes in,” said Narno.
“Aquí, home is a refuge of protective cactuses, a blooming swamp," said Adams. "Home is a handful of seeds, which might lift off, carried by the wind, at any moment. Home is a fragrant bed of scented flowers whose smell is an embrace, a bright color, a light. Home is a continually growing, pulsing rhizome.”
Adams is a New Orleans-based artist working at the intersection of print, zine, and installation to envision queer/trans futures and possibilities. Adams helped found the New Orleans Community Printshop and organized community-focused printmaking programming there for 7 years. Adams was a curator and contributing artist to the Slow Holler Tarot Deck, a collection of tarot cards by southern/queer artists. They currently co-organize and co-curate the Queer Ecology Hanky Project and are working towards their master of fine arts at the University of New Orleans, Gráfica, Veracruz, Mexico. They currently co-organize and co-curate the Queer Ecology Hanky Project and are working towards their master of fine arts at the University of New Orleans.
Narno is a Mexican queer printmaker living in New Orleans, Louisiana. They said they believe in art as a transformation tool, contributing to social change during these uncertain times. Narno's work centers around the symbolism of plants to express thoughts, feelings and ideas, as well as a means to explore topics like migration, absence and grief.
Together, Adams and Narno run Birds of Paradise Press, a project that explores distance, longing, and the connections we place through our relationships with plants.
Visit the HUB Galleries website for more information on exhibits.