NADA Miami 2023

Foregrounding the inherently fraught relationship between humans and the natural world, the botanical portraits of Alina Bliumis’s latest series, “Zoo Paintings,” are held within custom metal settings, incorporating decorative motifs commonly used in fences. Softly rendered in watercolor pencil and paint, Bliumis’s vibrant scenes flourish beyond the bars of their metallic frames, positioning the viewer’s perspective as one looking out from the confines of an enclosure. In considering the impact of human activity on the earth and its resources, Bliumis envisions an alternate world where lush, mythic landscapes rebound and thrive without interference. By inverting this power dynamic, Bliumis locates a deep instinctual desire to connect with other living things, and the limits of control where nature is concerned.