Artist’s Statement

Behold, . . . Through the Concealed was an installation that questioned how glaring the signs of our environment’s precarious place had to become before we would respond. We are surrounded by reminders of life’s fragility every day whether it is the cycle of life that we witness in our gardens or the staggering effects of the loss of human life. This work presented a glittering cloud that expanded, seeming to continue to grow, across the backdrop of wallpaper with the repeating pattern of a crypt filled with human skulls with deadly nightshade intertwined through them. Deadly nightshade is a plant that is closely related to tomatoes and potatoes and is not uncommon in our gardens. When we see it, however, we know that it is dangerous despite its lovely flowers. We heed its warning. At what point will we look at the signs that surround us showing our planet’s struggle with the strain that humankind is placing upon it? At what point will we truly pay attention and take real action to help it recover for the future of all of its inhabitants?