The Sea is Rising: Reflections on the state of California Kelp Forests,
an exhibit of new works by Janina A. Larenas is on view for the month of August. Join us for the opening reception this Friday, August 2nd
About the exhibit:
The Sea is Rising: Reflections on the state of California Kelp Forests is a visual and emotional portrait of the Monterey kelp forest from 2013-2019. In this new exhibition, Janina A. Larenas explores the impacts of climate change on local kelp forest ecosystems, now in ecological collapse linked to a perfect storm of extreme water temperature, a disease outbreak on sea stars, and a population explosion of a voracious kelp grazer, the purple sea urchin. By visually interpreting the data collected by Reef Check California over the course of six years, Larenas gives the viewer a physical and emotional experience of this rapidly disappearing ecosystem. The Sea is Rising frames unprecedented extinction and environmental loss not simply as the consequence of human action but as inextricably tied to the imperatives of capitalist development.
Artist Bio:
Janina A. Larenas is a printmaker and book artist who works with a variety of mediums to create narrative imagery. Her pieces range from science illustration to stickers and posters, embroidery to zines, prints to paintings, often merging technical crafts with fine art presentation. She is a trained California Naturalist and AAUS certified diver, founder of Print Organize Protest, and co-founder of Little Giant Collective and People's Disco.
Detail of yoy fish, linoleum print on unryu paper by Janina A. Larenas