Natalie Delgado
"Sacred Repose" (2022)
Desert soil suspension, gum Arabic, and graphite on paper
Courtesy the artist.

Artist Statement:
Occasionally commensal, rarely mutualistic, and frequently parasitic, humans have often struggled with maintaining consistency and propriety in their relationship with nature.

This piece is an imagined, but hopeful portrayal of a symbiotic relationship.

A peaceful coexistence,

between humanity and the micro /macro organisms (flora and fauna) of the Avi Kwa Ame lands.

These bio-expressive forms additionally serve as an allegory; conveying the tumult and fragility found in human experiences alongside my own reverence for the wild predictability/unpredictability of the desert.

Traditional materials, graphite and watercolor (made from desert soil), were employed to help capture the forms, textures, compositions, and ephemeral impressions, discovered during my exploration of the Avi Kwa Ame landscape. By emphasizing the beauty of biodiversity and stressing the risks we are taking by ignoring human-driven environmental destruction, this piece aims to inspire reverence for the natural world and action to defend all that we have left.