The works I make in drawing emerge from my reflections and observations of our complex relationship with the natural world we live in. I see this relationship as my point of departure in understanding our humanity: what we cherish, long for, strive for, dream of, what we fear and makes us vulnerable. Trees and imagery based on trees are a constant reference in my work because they stand for resilience, patience, and for their life-giving and sustaining qualities as our fellow sentient creatures we share this world with. Additionally, as an immigrant artist who is trying to find my place in this new country I now call my home, trees stand for rootedness- this being held in place physically by being fully engaged with the earth. Therefore, making work about Pando is not just a chance to explore and celebrate its remarkable and unique wonder; it is also an opportunity to reflect on the qualities that Pando reminds us of ourselves and our relationships with one another: about survival, adaptability, unity, coexistence, empathy and finding balance. Making drawings about these observations and reflections is a way of honoring Pando, of expressing what makes Pando complex, and to hopefully raise awareness of its vulnerability so that eventually the works will promote care for its survival and thriving for our future generations.

The ideas that I intend to explore for my drawings about Pando will be an intertwining of narratives in geology, botany, environmental sciences and natural history. My primary resource of information that I intend to explore fully will be the extensive data collected by Friends of Pando. I’m particularly interested in the geological transformation of the region of Utah that Pando inhabits, and what aspects could it have provided for such a unique organism to emerge and flourish. Additionally I also want to delve into personal histories, collective histories and poetic representations to get a sense of the variety of sentiments that different groups of people think and feel about Pando. Additionally, I also intend to keep an open mind through the year-long residency, and welcome new ideas and resources that will inform and enrich my project further.

To make work about Pando is such an honor. I intend to utilize the residency to expand my ongoing series of large and small drawings that are about trees, particularly the large drawings, which are my way of engaging the viewer with the subject of the work through size and scale. The year-long opportunity to visit Pando to observe, watch, listen, reflect, take photos, videos and sound recordings is a precious gift of time and access to get to know the forest. In the same spirit, I also consider the drawings that will be the outcome of this residency as also a gift that I hope to be able to share with the community though a form of a public engagement event.