Herbaria

Hutchinson Modern & Contemporary is pleased to present Debora Hirsch: Herbaria, a solo exhibition of the artist’s recent cibachrome and inkjet prints, paintings, and video works. This exhibition premiers Hirsch’s video Herbaria (2024), named for the eponymous collections of dried, paper-mounted plant specimens used for study. Within Herbaria, Hirsch presents fleeting, delicate animations of endangered plant species, most of which are native to New York state. While the work offers viewers a glimpse into once vibrant existences, it ultimately alludes to the difficulty of restoring lost ecosystems. Also featured in the exhibition are new works from Hirsch’s acclaimed Plant series (2023 – ongoing), which, like Herbaria, explores the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of extinction while questioning art’s ability to preserve memories and entities. Hirsch collaborates with artificial intelligence to create her Plant works, utilizing it as a tool to expand creative possibilities. This fruitful partnership results in sumptuous constructions and abstractions that reflect the complex and fragile balances sustaining our ecosystems. Hirsch records her Plant series on the blockchain, thereby “preserving the symbolic essence of endangered species in a way that traditional archiving [can] not. Blockchain serves as a metaphorical counterpart to the physical herbarium,” Hirsch says, “where these digital representations are safeguarded against the erasure of time.” Unified by themes such as biodiversity, preservation, contemporary anthropology, and the influence of media and technology on culture and society, Debora Hirsch: Herbaria brings viewers into an imaginative space where the beauty of nature is both celebrated and mourned.“The goal is to foster a sense of responsibility and urgency,” affirms Hirsch, “using the aesthetic experience as a conduit for deeper ethical reflection.” Hirsch’s work has been exhibited in prominent institutions worldwide, including the Villa Bernasconi, Cernobbio, Italy; Museu Brasileiro da Escultura e Ecologia, São Paulo, Brazil; The Arts House, Singapore; Palazzo Gil, Rome, Italy; and Museo Arte Contemporanea Isernia, Italy. Her work is held in numerous public collections, including the AGI Verona Collection, Italy; BoCs Museum, Cosenza, Italy; Casa Testori, Milan, Italy; Fondation Francès, Senlis, France; Fondazione Benetton, Treviso, Italy; Fondazione Rivoli2, Milan, Italy; Galleria D’Arte Moderno Achille Forti, Verona, Italy; Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, Poland; MoRE Museum, Grossel, Netherlands; Museu Brasileiro da Escultura e Ecologia, São Paulo, Brazil; and Museo Premio Suzzara, Italy. Hutchinson Modern & Contemporary was founded by Isabella Hutchinson in 2020. HM&C specializes in modern and contemporary art of the Americas, with a focus on Latin American, U.S. Latinx(o/a/e), and Caribbean art. Through our exhibitions and online Study Rooms, we aim to augment the visibility of work by our artists and foster critical engagement with their practices.

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