In an era marked by ecological unraveling and social polarization, Root/Signal brings together painters who look to the living world. These artists explore the intelligence of plants and the possibility that they might be models for a different kind of human communication; one rooted in slowness, attunement, reciprocity, and nonverbal knowing. Just as roots transmit signals underground, linking trees and fostering networks of care, the works in this exhibition propose new ways of listening and connecting across human and more-than-human worlds.
Plants speak in ways we are only beginning to understand: through chemical signals, underground root networks, light sensitivity, and subtle shifts in posture. They respond to touch, listen to their environment, and form cooperative relationships across species. Their modes of communication are relational, nonverbal, and reciprocal; qualities that are difficult in digital culture
Drawing inspiration from Thus Spoke the Plant by Monica Gagliano, The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger and The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram, the artists in this exhibition use art to explore the possibility of other ways of knowing. Rather than demanding immediate understanding, these works invite sustained observation and embodied awareness. They suggest that communication is not only about speaking, but also about presence, perception, and the willingness to be changed by what we encounter.
