“Fragile Ecologies” At Brush Art Gallery

Environmental Justice Through Art

Step into the colorful and underwater-themed world of sea monsters and coral life at the Richard D. Brush Art Gallery! The newest exhibition, “Fragile Ecologies,” focuses on marine life and ecosystems. These unique art pieces were made by Mulyana, an Indonesian artist who uses knitted and crocheted art to send a message. For example, in an effort to bring awareness to environmental issues and the climate crisis, he used recycled plastic to create white coral reefs. Representing the detrimental effects that coral bleaching has on marine life, these art pieces are powerful. There are also other coral reefs made from repurposed yarn and full of bright colors.   

This gallery also consists of two life-sized costumes, also made from crocheted yarn. The amount of detail put into the costumes and coral reefs is truly impressive. Each time you look at a piece, there’s something new to find, whether it is an interesting texture, shape or color. I enjoyed how much the art resembled the naturally diverse and intricate coral reefs in reality. Catherine Tedford, director of the Brush Art Gallery, explained that Mulyana will actually wear these giant costumes in public as a form of protest and to bring awareness to how climate change affects ocean life.  

The biggest piece of the gallery is a sea monster named Big Mogus, a giant squid-like creature blooming with color. This piece is surrounded by tons of floating little goldfish, feeling much like an aquarium without water. Another part of the gallery includes “little monsters” hanging above you as you explore, but these creatures are more magical than monstrous. Tedford also informed that the school will be purchasing two of the many little monsters to keep in the permanent gallery.   

I was thoroughly impressed with this gallery and how different it was from anything I had ever seen before. Tedford explained that she tries to have different art forms in the gallery over four years so that students can experience a variety of mediums of art during their time here at St. Lawrence University. These are certainly some of the most interesting pieces I have seen and something you would not want to miss! Tedford also explained that the artist, Mulyana, intended his art pieces to be an immersive experience. With little sea monsters and goldfish floating around among the beautifully crafted coral reefs, it does feel incredibly immersive. It is also a good reminder of our consequential effects on the environment and the fragility of nature that we must protect.  

Immediately upon exploring the gallery, I was reminded of music artist Björk’s 2022 album, “Fossora.” The album’s aesthetic centers around marine and fungal ecosystems, something Björk is passionate about and has brought a lot of awareness to through her projects. My suggestion is to listen to that record in your headphones while exploring this gallery for a full ecological experience. The exhibition will be open until April 9, so make sure to check it out before it leaves!