A Tree Grows in Queens, new publication with Conveyor Editions!

My newest publication with Conveyor Editions, designed by Christina Labey, is being released in time for the NYABF and Arbor Day. A Tree Grows in Queens reflects on the many ways in which trees manifest into other things - myths, memes, monuments and more. Telling the stories of ten trees found in NYC (from the Harlem Wishing Tree to a Tulip tree considered the city’s oldest) the book explores topics from climate catastrophe and zombie capitalism to the radical power of touch and the place of memory making. Book available through Conveyor Editions here.

La vie is like that published by Seaton Street Press, NYABF launch

I am incredibly excited to announce the publication of La vie is like that with independent publisher Seaton Street Press. La vie is like that takes its inspiration from the philosophical thought experiment 'The Ship of Theseus,' which reflects on the concept of the persistence of identity - if every part of an object is replaced over time is it the same object? La vie … explores the connection between language and identity. The work, in text and risograph images, touches upon themes of change, immigration, connection, dementia, loss, speech, love, and humor. The book is structured as an alphabet primer (A is for Aphasia... E is for Emerson... U is for Umzug) that blends languages - reflecting my father's combinations of French, Creole, and English, as well as my own study of German. The book will be available for purchase at the Seaton Street Press table (C19) at this year’s NYABF (April 25-28). I will be signing copies Sunday April 28th from 2-4pm.

Old School, New Worlds

My collaborative project The Library as a Garden will be on view in Old School, New Worlds at SMUSH Gallery in Jersey City. The exhibition is organized by Dense Magazine in conjunction with the Jersey Art Book Fair (runs Feb 3-4). The Library as a Garden is a collaboration between Christina Labey and myself exploring the connection between humans and plants through the lens of the archive. In this arboreal-focused installation, we weave together plant specimens, watercolor studies, and writing to infuse new life into historical archives. By casting trees as quiet observers of human history and pivotal figures in forging a sustainable future, in the hopes of redirecting our attention to the often-overlooked presence of nature in the urban landscape.

The Via Combusta at Jimei X Arles Photo Festival

Work related to my book The Moon & Stars Can Be Yours is included in the group exhibition The Via Combusta on view until January 21st in Xiamen, China as part of the Jimei X Arles Photo Festival. The exhibition curated by Yichen Zhou and Yingying Gan won the festival’s Curatorial Award and will be shown in expanded form this spring at Fotografiska in Shanghai and at Beijing’s Three Shadows Photography Center.

Tree News Issue 4

This weekend, Sept 9 + 10, marks the release of issue 4 of Tree News produced by Erin Mallea and Paper Buck at the Pittsburgh Art Book Fair. I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Erin about A Tree Grows in Queens, herbaria, and working with archives. The issue also includes an interview with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Curator of Botany, Mason Heberling. They’ll be tabling at the Carnegie Museum of Art and will have copies of The Dry Garden as well as a special edition postcard set of images from A Tree Grows in Queens.

A Tree, A Garden at Antenna

My solo show, A Tree, A Garden, opens in New Orleans at Antenna on February 11, 2023. The show will be on view until March 26th. A corresponding publication, The Dry Garden, is available from Antenna Press.

A Tree, A Garden reflects on the many ways in which trees manifest into other things, from memorials and myths to memes, markers, and meeting points.The exhibition brings together two research projects that explore the place of trees in our understanding of the world. Inspired by trees found both in old-growth forests and on city streets, A Tree Grows in Queens incorporates a collection of written vignettes, archival images, and original photographs to explore how narratives of trees have touched on the larger topics of climate, capitalism, catastrophe, and compassion. The Dry Garden, an installation of cyanotype prints and a publication, is composed of reimagined archival material from herbaria, where plants are dried and stored for scientific purposes. The imagery transformed into shades of blue and white is influenced by Anna Atkins’ Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, the first book of photographs ever published. The work reconsiders archival histories and explores how narrative can act as a riposte to plant blindness, encouraging more empathetic relationships with our natural surroundings.

SF Art Book Fair 7/15-7/17

It seems surreal to say but The Moon & Stars Can e Yours will have it’s official debut this weekend at the San Francisco Art Book Fair! It is taking place from Friday the 15th to Sunday the 17th at Minnesota Street Project with a preview on Thursday night! Moon & Stars will be available at the Conveyor Editions table and as always is available for purchase through their site.

Said To Be Dreaming at Olympia

A group exhibition on reading poems and images - featuring paintings, video, mail art, and sound. The show explores how the acts of reading and looking are themselves an art of daydreaming and meandering. The exhibition is curated by Chantal Soong Lee and Emily P. Dunne. The exhibition asks, what does a conversation between a poet and an artist, or between two visual artists, look like? http://olympiart.org/

NARS Virtual Benefit

Happy to have donated this image, Winter Afternoon, to the NARS virtual benefit. I was an artist in residence there in 2015 and so much came out of it, projects that stayed with me for years, friendships, connections, and colleagues. The auction runs til May 29th. More info here : https://www.narsfoundation.org/2022-benefit/magali-duzant-winter-afternoon