April Dean and Taiessa | In Violet Light

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April Dean, “Futures Barren/Futures Abundant (photo still),” 2021

stop motion HD video (courtesy of the Artist)

Opening Reception: June 13 from 6-9 pm

In Violet Light by artists April Dean and Taiessa allows us to explore our complex relationship with the natural world, through the lens of the house plant. 

Throughout the gallery, creamy white plants made of felt sit in vials, vases and jars, their roots exposed and vulnerable. Stop motion animation follows plant cuttings wandering through a clinical and otherworldly environment. Plants are captured in photographs - suspended in an unknown, delicate space.

Through printmaking, photography and video, April Dean looks at the house plant as a symbol of humanity’s controlled separation from the natural world. House plants are a carefully curated, brought inside homes to simply decorate, soothe or brighten. However, Dean knows that there is more to this relationship. Plants can be endlessly generous, multiplying through cuttings and seeds, but depend on the generosity of humans’ care and nurturing to survive.

Taiessa’s work presents a speculative future. Her series variegata includes more than 50 soft sculptures, replicas of house plants made from a ghostly white felt. Her works showcase variegation, a plant mutation which causes a white splotch on the leaves where plants can no longer photosynthesize. Despite being detrimental to the health of the plant, these mutations are highly prized by collectors, fetching exorbitant prices.

In Violet Light creates space to contemplate a realm where plants are extracted and objectified, but also cherished. Dean and Taiessa provide an opportunity to shift our perspectives, nurturing a space where humans can exist gently, as a generous part of the natural world. 

In-person tour: June 11 at noon

Virtual tour: June 18 at noon on Facebook Live