El Jardín de Memorias (The Garden of Memories) Art Exhibition

Bailey Contemporary Arts Center

Nov 03 – Nov 24

El Jardín de Memorias (The Garden of Memories), 2023 by Alejandra Abad.

An exhibition that includes video installations with companion animations from iterations of collaged drawings.

This work reiterates and recontextualizes memories about various plants and flowers that my grandfather cared for in Venezuela, recounting and extolling his relationship with the land that carries wisdom and resilience. These drawings are recalling acts of love, caring for a garden of memories and reflection. Colonial powers exploited the land, taking plants and imposing unfamiliar nomenclature in the name of science. The act of renaming allowed the empires to possess the world, including plant life. This project opens up the possibility of agency for and symbiosis with flora. As the animation cycles, it fragments into abstraction with soundscapes and narrations of forming a new hybrid identity.

Opening reception will be held during November’s Untapped on Friday November 3rd