Vivien Russe

The climate crisis and the damaging effects of human activity on the natural world — our planet — are at the root of my recent body of work. The ideas grew out of two very different trips, one to Acadia National Park in 2018 and the other to view Renaissance paintings in Italy in 2019. While a non-believer, I have always felt the power and beauty of art inspired by religion of all kinds. These works can represent some of our highest aspirations for finding meaning. At the same time, the natural beauty of Acadia was still fresh in my mind. In the Renaissance works in Italy, most of what was depicted as divine was of human form. Trying to address how our human needs are increasingly in conflict with the natural world, I wanted to flip this equation, and put nature in a divine space, giving it more weight. Why is lichen less holy than St. Peter??

Since starting this work, the increased environmental degradation from political divisions, capitalism, population displacement, and war has been deeply discouraging. The need to recognize the interconnection of all life is more critical than ever. There are lessons to be learned from many non-Western cultures and religions. Science is teaching us that the natural world is more interrelated than we’ve previously understood. For example, the ways fungal networks affect the life of plants and trees and have a unique role in regeneration. Technology is changing life on Earth in ways impossible to grasp. The outcome is unknown, but it’s clear, all the players are fighting for survival. These paintings are a reflection on this drama.