Healing Nature

Healing Nature brings together a diverse group of artists whose works present scenes on how to engage with nature through meditation and contemplation to provide a better understanding on how to heal in times of conflict and to connect to the inner self, recognizing that humans are all part of a bigger whole. 

The artists in this exhibition recognize that they are all part of Nature, and through their practice they take refuge in it, accessing its healing properties to better contribute to society. Nature is a complex system endowed with intertwined intelligence.

Since the dawn of time, Nature has offered mankind the opportunity to cure itself on a physical and metaphysical level. Nature can heal through simply being immersed in it, through utilizing its elemental energies, or by consuming its plants, fungi, and animals. All of this can be done as a group or as an individual, following rituals at times guided by shamans or practiced in an intuitive and personal way. 

This knowledge has been ignored in economically advanced societies in favor of a narrowing focus on materialism and rationalism. Many practices have remained on the margins of such societies, while they are retained in a more complete form within indigenous communities where the ancestral knowledge has so far largely survived the forces of modernization.

This exhibition originated in conversations between curator Omar Lopez-Chahoud and artist Matteo Callegari. The artists in the show engage in a dialogue with creation as they access it through their lived experiences. Their distinct art practices offer a glimpse of how each person’s path toward an understanding of our personal essence leads us toward something bigger that can hold and heal us, helping to build a better understanding of ourselves.

Artist Bios:

Omar López-Chahoud has been artistic director and curator of UNTITLED since its inception in 2012. As an independent curator, López-Chahoud has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions in the United States and internationally. He has participated in curatorial panels at Artists’ Space, Art in General, MoMA PS1, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. López-Chahoud holds MFAs from the Yale University School of Art and the Royal Academy of Art in London.

Matteo Callegari’s work is deeply inspired by his experiences in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, where he explored the interconnectedness of nature and spirituality. His practice blends techniques to evoke the symbolic power of animals and landscapes, aiming to connect viewers with the natural world. Callegari holds an MFA from Hunter College, New York, and has exhibited internationally. In 2019, he founded the non-profit Light for the Amazon to preserve knowledge of healing traditions based on rainforest medicinal plants.

Vanessa Albury is an eco-visual artist and activist originally from Nashville and based in Brooklyn, New York, with an MFA in Studio Art from NYU’s Steinhardt School. Her work, spanning photography, sculpture, and social practice, focuses on environmental themes and healing through art and the ocean. As the founder of Coral Projects, she is creating eco-friendly underwater exhibitions to support coral reef regeneration. Albury’s innovative projects include NYC’s first biodegradable mural and installations addressing ecological and social issues, showcased internationally in collaboration with events like UN World Oceans Day and exhibitions across the USA and abroad.

Guadalupe Maravilla was born in 1976 in El Salvador and lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and an MFA from Hunter College, City University of New York. Maravilla creates intricately layered paintings, large-scale sculptures, and therapeutic performances that draw from his personal history and Central American ancestry. Maravilla’s works examine issues of migration, disease, and generational trauma, while creating new rituals for care, healing, and regeneration. His work is in the permanent collections both nationally and internationally and he has received numerous awards and fellowships.

AYCOOBO’S [WILSON RODRÍGUEZ] work is rooted in the teachings of his father, Master Abel Rodríguez Muinane, and his deep connection to the Amazon, where his mystical experiences with medicinal and sacred plants shape his art. Through an intuitive, self-taught approach, Rodríguez’s drawings explore the relationship between the visible and invisible world and the spiritual realm, offering both personal and communal healing. His works are more than images; they are cosmic maps that blend ancient wisdom with contemporary thought, portraying organic nature through hallucinogenic revelations that reveal hidden structures of reality. His work has been exhibited internationally, most recently at the 2024 La Biennale di Venezia, 60th International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy.

Kevin Arrow states that nature is one of the central pillars of his practice, not only as a source of inspiration but as a reflection of the unseen. The act of cutting paper by hand mirrors the precision and care found in nature’s own design, and allows for a more intuitive exploration of the hidden energies that connect all living things. His work is meant to be both seen and felt, as functioning amulets, and talismans that invite the viewer into a space of contemplation and connection with the world around them. Arrow’s work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, the Perez Art Museum Miami, the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, and the Otto G. Richter Special Collection at the University of Miami. 

Diana Eusebio is a Peruvian-Dominican multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the cultural significance of color, particularly through natural dyed textiles rooted in Indigenous Latin American and Afro-Caribbean traditions. Her practice bridges ancestral and modern techniques, celebrating the rich heritage and wisdom of these communities while contributing to contemporary cultural preservation. Eusebio’s work has been exhibited at venues such as the MoMA, Rubell Museum, and Gregg Museum of Art and Design, and she has held residencies at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Oolite Arts. A U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and National YoungArts Jorge M. Pérez Award recipient, she is currently a Knight Artist Housing Awardee with a two-year studio residency at Oolite Arts in Miami Beach.

Lee Pivnik is a Miami-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice explores ecological entanglement and mutualistic relationships through sculptures, drawings, and installations inspired by living systems. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA in Sculpture, 2018), he is the founder and co-director of the Institute of Queer Ecology (IQECO), a collaborative organism blending queer cultural production and multispecies relationality. His work has been exhibited internationally, with projects presented at institutions like the Guggenheim Museum, the United Nations ART 2030 initiative, and Centre Pompidou-Metz. Pivnik is a two-time Knight Arts Challenge winner and has held residencies at Biosphere 2, Deering Estate, and Oolite Arts

Carrie Sieh (she/they, b.1978, Los Angeles CA) is an artist, librarian, social justice advocate, and permaculture enthusiast living and working in Miami, Florida. Her work engages with intertwined histories of environmental destruction, economic exploitation, gender and sexuality, trauma, and technology. Sieh received a BA in painting and photography from University of California at Santa Cruz, and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University in California.  She is a certified member of W.A.G.E., and is represented by Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami, FL.

Rev. Houston R. Cypress (Otter Clan of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida) is a Two-Spirit, indigiqueer artist and environmentalist. The descendant of a woodcarver and the son of a dressmaker, he appreciated art as a form of learning from an early age, woodworking with his grandfather and collaborating with his mother in the production of Miccosukee fashion shows. He considers poetry to be the foundation of his artistic and spiritual practices, including his audiovisual work. He enjoys bringing communities together through art and technology. Houston’s belief that when it comes to protecting the environment, indigenous rights are everyone’s rights, encourages one to be in creative solidarity with nature because it expands our practice of “chosen family”. 

Born in Costa Rica, Jean Sarmiento’s work echoes the vibrant culture of his homeland through intricate glass mosaics inspired by the traditional carts of Sarchí. These mosaics honor craftsmanship and act as symbolic shields that protect nature and tradition. As a landscaper, Jean focuses on creating environmentally conscious art that provides habitats for native plants. His involvement with the Love The Everglades movement fosters ecological healing and advocates for the preservation of this vital ecosystem. Each work embodies Jean’s commitment to biodiversity and serves as a dialogue between cultural identity and ecological responsibility, inviting an appreciation of beauty and nature.

Pablo Leon de la Barra, Curator at Large for Latin America at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, was born in Mexico City in 1972 and now resides in Rio de Janeiro. He holds a Ph.D. from the Architectural Association in London and has held prominent roles, including Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator, Latin America, and Chief Curator at MAC Niteroi. He has curated major exhibitions, such as Cecilia Vicuña’s Spin Spin Triangulene (2022) and Gego: Measuring Infinity (2023) at the Guggenheim, and is currently organizing shows for Gabriel Chaile in Uruguay and Allan Weber in the UK. León de la Barra has also contributed to global biennials and was awarded the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros and ICI Travel Award for Central America and the Caribbean in 2012.