Each of the artists in this project offer new ways of thinking about the linkage between social and ecological trauma, showing creative ways to bring these interconnections to our consciousness. If we adopt a fluid definition of the environment it can be seen to consist of all that we are connected to, both directly and indirectly, a part of us. These artists explore the spaces of the environment that are often overlooked or invisible to the naked eye, probing for a deeper investigation of our own bodies and the ecosystems we are part of. Artworks here are not fixed to existing systems, rather they engage with changing environments and are therefore directly affect and are affected by the world. They reflect on ecological trauma while nurturing rich stories about the intimacy of our own lives with the lives of other organisms.

One artist directly impacted by the tsunami and earthquake Fumiaki Aono uses debris from the tsunami to create fused sculptures. Hawaiian artist Maikai Tubbs uses the vernacular of urban detritus such as used VHS tapes and plastic forks for creative swaps, transforming plastic into flowers. Both artists ask, how can discarded materials that are no longer useful to capitalist society be repurposed? In her own way, Mary Babcock probes the edge between beauty and tragedy with the remnants of fishnets reclaimed from the Pacific Ocean. Filipino artist Ringo Bunoan highlights the daily practice of rejuvenation by wafting the scent of incense in the gallery space each morning. Longstanding New York based environmental artist Jackie Brookner draws the cells of the human body with those of plants on an intimate level using the medium of soil. Shotaro Yoshino uncovers the active layers of geologic and social time that lie dormant underneath the earth’s surface. Akira Ikezoe paints a body growing into the trunk of a tree, a symbolic union that can offer useful perspectives for thinking about a wider definition of nature.

This exhibit opens possibilities that lie in what is already here even though we may not realize it. Our conception of “nature” in the limited sense inhibits healing in the midst of trauma. By showing what comes “after nature” (after our conception of nature) these artists provide wider perspectives on issues facing us today. The vague line between our everyday lives and the surrounding environment is acknowledged, questioned and played with in these artworks. Here the gaps between reality and fiction are opened to see what new possibilities can be found not only in response to, but also directed towards multiple creative solutions for trauma facing the globe today.