Fertile Ground Lecture
Fertile Ground brings together the aesthetically and conceptually layered works of María Berrío, Zoë Charlton, and Joiri Minaya. Through their depictions of women’s bodies enveloped by nature—often juxtaposing wild and cultivated landscapes—these artists challenge romantic tropes of “nature” with powerful personal, cultural, and political narratives.
Berrío, Charlton, and Minaya reference the land in which they were raised—Bogotá, Colombia; Tallahassee, Florida; and the Dominican Republic, respectively. They explore relationships between cross-cultural, gendered personifications of nature and historic conquest and colonization of the natural landscape. When bodies are equated with land, they are subject to ownership and cultivation. The artists complicate traditional narratives to expose power dynamics and assert ownership over body and land. Yet none of the work presents a clear and tidy outcome—the works relay an emotional, visceral, messy, ongoing struggle. Ultimately, each artist’s subjects demand acknowledgment and self-determination.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Brown University