All That She Wants (The Gentle Voice That Talks To You Exhibition), 2017

 

The Gentle Voice That Talks To You Won’t Talk Forever, a solo exhibition by artist Sofía Córdova, presents an abstracted view of a near-future Earth in which nature has resisted and survived human intervention.

 

The work for this exhibition originated from Córdova’s research into the resilience of plants following nuclear events, and in particular, a thousand year old cherry tree close to the Fukushima nuclear spill site in Japan called the Miharu Takizakura. This tree has been the source of human pilgrimage and adoration for hundreds of years. Surviving the aftermath of Fukushima, the tree is relatively unaffected and is projected to thrive despite the presence of radiation.

 

Córdova’s installation imagines a landscape which has grown immune to human destruction. The exhibition, devoid of human figures and dressed in pink light, features serene sound and video of weeping cherry blossom trees that Córdova shot in South Korea this spring. Resin casts, ceramics, found objects and taxidermy signify possible transformations of natural elements in response to ecological ruin and pollution. Borrowing from the newfound life she believes the spill will lend the Miharu Takizakura, Córdova’s exhibition presents a disjointed, speculative vision of the "natural world" thriving through radiation, blooming more beautifully than ever – with no human eyes to see it.