Exhibition: A landscape longed for, the garden as disturbance

A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance is curated by Laura Novoa and Adler Guerrier and features work by 15 artists, each of whom, using various mediums and perspectives, explores the motif of the garden in its relation to the cultivation and expression of beauty and knowledge.

A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance takes inspiration from the writings of Jamaica Kincaid. Kincaid, a gardener and lay horticulturist, wrote lovingly about the modalities felt within her garden – frustrations and disturbances accompanied by joy and amazement Despite the planning, plotting, and formulating that are implemented, Kincaid is aware that nature cannot be fully contained or controlled. It disturbs the best-laid plans and forces us to adapt and to be responsive to the unknown, to continually envision and hope for a better future.

The exhibit features the works of Laura Castro, Carolina Casusol, Sandi Haber Fifield, David Hartt, Jim Hodges, Mark Fleuridor, Candice Lin, Cathy Lu, Lee Mary Manning, Ana Mendieta, Reginald O’Neal, Ebony Patterson, Ema Ri, Onajide Shabaka and Kandis Williams. The artists consider the intricacies of the garden as a metaphor for the larger world, using it as a framework to consider cultural, social, political, geographical, and historical issues.

A landscape longed for: The garden as disturbance builds on the exhibit’s first iteration, showcased at Locust Projects in Miami in 2021. There, works were displayed with dialogues addressing notions of fragility, remembrance, ornamentation, beauty, and affective traces in the landscape. At CEAM, the show’s themes extend to ecological interdependence, homage, reverence, refuge, renewal, and time emphatically spent on the creation and nourishment of our inner lives.

The show was thoughtfully curated by Laura Novoa and Adler Guerrier. Novoa is a curator and arts administrator based in Miami, FL, where she works as Assistant Director of Programs and Community Engagement at the Bakehouse Art Complex. She has curated exhibitions for the Miami Design District, Locust Projects, Oolite Arts, and YoungArts, among others. Guerrier is an artist based in Miami who has presented his works in exhibitions at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum Miami, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and CEAM.

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