A STRANGE BEAUTY

‘A STRANGE BEAUTY’ presents Sève Favre’s drawings, interactive installations, and wallpaper designs on invasive plants.

In the eighteenth century, as Europeans expanded their colonial pursuits, collecting plants from Asia, Africa, and the Americas, luxury wall coverings displayed bold florals and backgrounds of bright blues and pinks. Imagining a dystopian future when new boundaries have been drawn and cities have been remade, what will our walls look like?

Through stylized botanical illustrations, Favre suggests super-alien bodies that divide, spread, and hybridize in their environments, conveying the plants’ allure to both insects and humans. As several invasive species in North America were intentionally introduced for their ornamental beauty and usefulness, Favre’s work challenges us to consider our ever-changing attitudes towards which species we find (un)desirable. Might a world to come once again embrace these plant forms?

Sève Favre is a Swiss-Belgian artist working in painting, drawing, installation, and digital media. Her practice is concerned with the relationships between humans, ecology, and urban spaces. In large-scale interactive installations, she interprets extensive research on natural and built environments. Favre has exhibited in Switzerland and abroad at PS122 Gallery (NYC), Bienalsur (Saudi Arabia & Argentina), and LaGran Gallery (Madrid), among others. She has participated in residencies at MASS MoCA and the Swiss Wallpaper Museum, and was a finalist for the 14th Arte Laguna Prize in Sculpture/Installation.

Exhibit organized by Jo Minhinnett.

—

EVENTS

Reception & Artist’s Talk

Please join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, January 24 from 1-4PM. The event will begin with a talk by Sève Favre on invasive plants and her research at the Swiss Wallpaper Museum and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. All are welcome. No registration required.