In Water

Xavier Cortada collaborated with Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) scientists to better understand the impact of global climate change on our ecosystems. The works in the “{in water}” exhibition are inspired by their scientific research.

“Diatom,” (2014), is his first work ever depicting a diatom: Using a microscope, Cortada captured the image of a diatom from samples used by Florida International University FCE LTER scientists studying the ecology of the Everglades and sea level rise. In the art, Cortada’s diatoms hover over a layer of images (Cortada captured using Google maps) showing the artificial canals and lakes created to develop parcels of developable land where the River of Grass once flowed.

Continuing in this line of work, the prints from “{in water}” show how the artist explores the effects of abstraction on the diatom imagery, conceptually transforming the viewer into an omniscient voyeur, staring into the foundations of life.