HIGHLIGHTS
I often think about the first scientist who looked into a microscope and saw the dividing of cells, the jiggle of bacteria, and the movement of microorganisms. They must have marveled at the invisible worlds that were revealed. Similar to uncovering fossils of long-extinct species, we are humbled when we discover that we are only a tiny part of a much larger story. These monumental confrontations move us emotionally as much as they do intellectually, evoking within us a sense of awe and wonder. Close Encounters at Box Spring Gallery and Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses at the Institute of Contemporary Art both ask us to consider our position within the cosmos, drawing attention to the fragility of our existence and the complicated ecosystems in which we live. Turning inward, allow yourself to be nourished by Ann Wehrwein’s Tender Ground at Pentimenti, where she renders quiet moments of everyday life with layers of color and care.
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Close Encounters at Box Spring Gallery @boxspringgallery
On view through: February 22
Featuring: Gregory Brelloch and Marguerita Hagan
Gregory Brelloch and Marguerita Hagan illuminate the microscopic marvels of lichens, fungi, diatoms, and algae, inviting us to look closer, ask questions, and rekindle our sense of wonder. Their work reveals the delicate dance of life that begins on the smallest scale and intertwines with every living thing on our Earth.
Gregory Brelloch’s soft graphite drawings offer a visceral connection to the extraordinary structures of lichens and sporangium. His square compositions, reminiscent of microscopic slides, feature harmonious circles that fill the space, drawing the viewer in to study each intricate fold, lobe, and repeating branch. Craning forward to examine a protruding edge or a cluster of circles, I almost anticipated the organisms gently trembling, the camera slowly shifting, the magnification amplifying to reveal a cascade of fractal-like cells. By allowing you to see each detail of these often-overlooked organisms, Brelloch connects you with something miraculous.
A master ceramicist, Marguerita Hagan creates delicate sculptures of unseen but extremely prevalent organisms, bringing them into focus so that we can all marvel at their otherworldly forms. Her lace-like structures, depicting sponges, diatoms, algae, and fungi, include both inspired designs, and remarkably accurate representations of these tiny wonders. A simple image search will confirm the scientific basis for each sculpture, but beware, it may lead you down a rabbit hole of enthusiastic research.
Ceramics are an apt medium for depicting the single-celled diatoms and their colonies, as their silica skeletal structures are mirrored by the silica in the clay. Hagan’s work allows viewers to have a tangible and personal experience with the algae and diatoms that play a vital role in ocean ecosystems and the production of oxygen, making these organisms feel more precious. As evidenced by a lifetime of environmental activism and the detailed scientific explanations that accompany her work, Hagan hopes to bring the viewer to greater awareness, emphasizing the interconnectedness of this vast and complex system.
Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania @icaphiladelphia
On view through: April 6, 2025
Curated by: Alex Klein, Head Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Contemporary Austin, with Denise Ryner, Andrea B. Laporte Curator, as ICA’s receiving curator.
Featuring: Carl Cheng
Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses spans both floors of the ICA, showcasing six decades of groundbreaking work from this remarkable artist and inventor. Cheng started making art in the 1960s amidst rapid technological and urban change, from photographic sculptures and found object assemblages to intricate machines and public art. His work skillfully examines the complex interplay between technology and nature, blending environmentalism with humor and cynicism with an infectious enthusiasm for materials and discovery.
The exhibition opens with Anthropocene Landscapes 1 and 2, a duo of striking topographic collages resembling satellite images constructed from computer components. City blocks and green fields appear out of rows of microchips, and factories resolve from clusters of silver capacitors. These pieces draw attention to the consistency of human design, emphasizing our tendency toward linear thinking and our habit of forcing it onto nature.
Cheng’s Art Tools, documented through videos and artifacts, further explore the intersection of art-making, automation, and nature. I was especially drawn to his Santa Monica Art Tool (Walk on LA), a massive rolling cylinder he created in the 1980s. Pulled by a tractor across the beach, it imprinted a Los Angeles cityscape upon the sand. The public would then playfully destroy the image, inspiring reflection on the fragility of our human-made world.
This theme of impermanence echoes throughout Cheng’s work. He often speaks about the long-term trajectory of human-made objects. Once a toaster is no longer a toaster, what is it? A “human-made rock”. This concept finds ironic expression in his Erosion Machines, which artificially simulate erosion by dripping water over human-made rocks (cement and plaster conglomerations) to demonstrate the slow process of decay. I particularly enjoy the absurdity of creating a machine that will transform into another human-made rock on the day it stops functioning.
Cheng’s witty and thought-provoking work allows us to see ourselves within the larger context of human history and geological time – a humbling journey that highlights the impermanence of our society and our species. The incisive brilliance of Cheng’s work is more impressive than any short description could convey. Please take the time to benefit from this experience – it will stay with you long after you leave.
Tender Ground at Pentimenti @pentimentigallery
On view through: March 8, 2025
Featuring: Anna Wehrwein
Quiet moments make up most of our lives, yet they often pass unnoticed. Anna Wehrwein’s Tender Ground draws focus to these overlooked experiences of everyday life, exploring “moments of care and acts of tenderness.”
Many of her paintings depict solitary figures at rest or in reflection. Their averted gazes and obscured faces somehow amplify their intimacy. Other paintings show thoughtful moments between people living ordinary lives: a friend holding a plant in the passenger seat of a car or two people resting on a picnic blanket in the backyard. Wehrwein’s tight cropping creates compositions that tell only part of the story. We see a pair of legs with a hand resting on them or a man’s elbow on the breakfast table. Framed by plants, doorways, and other architectural elements, her figures merge into their surroundings. These unconventional compositions create a sense of voyeurism, drawing us into these private worlds and evoking a powerful sense of empathy.
Wehrwein’s energetic paintings are loose and brushy. Using transparency and wandering edges, she builds saturated environments where glimpses of underlying colors sparkle through. Each composition is unified by a dominant hue as if viewed through a colored lens. This is particularly evident in her smaller works on paper, where the paper itself sets the tone. Wehrwein’s work recalls Pierre Bonnard’s; they share a sensitivity to color and a focus on the quiet integration of figures within domestic spaces. Take time to care for yourself and sink into these paintings: they offer a soothing break in a world filled with conflict and stress.
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About the writer: Claire Haik is a Philadelphia artist and educator whose work explores the hidden processes of nature. Using oil, acrylic, and hand-crushed, locally sourced pigments, she creates abstracted representations of landscapes and scientifically inspired imagery. Her work has been featured in SciArt in America and Issues in Science and Technology, and she was awarded the Lois and Charles X Carlson Landscape Residency and Experience Economies: Landscape Experience residency at Mildred’s Lane. Haik holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work has been exhibited at Pulse Miami and at galleries throughout the Northeast. See her art and learn more about her here.