Our bodies exist in intricate relationships to other forms of life, from microorganisms and fungi, to plants and other animals. We are also surrounded by settings and objects in which different scales of time–geological, microbial, and human–converge. How are we to understand ourselves in these complex networks of life and kinship? In The Death of a Naturalist, bioartist Maro Pebo explores these entanglements and invites us to question traditional notions of classification, taxonomy, and species individuality. Pebo's work delves into the politics of microbial life, exploring the hierarchies and biopolitical distribution of pain, death, aversion, and mutualism among different species. The title of the exhibition is a nod to Irish poet Seamus Heaney’s “Death of a Naturalist,” a coming-of-age literary piece describing a child’s wondrous encounters with the natural world. Through sculptures, installations, found objects, and microscopic photos, the exhibition presents a post-anthropocentric view of life that aims at revealing the interconnectedness and symbiotic relationships between bacteria, plants, and humans.

Maro Pebo: The Death of a Naturalist (installation view). The Rest, Ithaca, New York. April 2023

photo: Maro Pebo

Lichen Timescapes (2023). Maro Pebo: The Death of a Naturalist. The Rest, Ithaca, New York

photo: Maro Pebo

Born in Mexico City, Maro Pebo is a bioartist and art historian investigating the cultural dimensions of biology and the life sciences. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists, engineers, technologists, and designers, Pebo explores the interconnectedness of different forms of life through projects that defy anthropocentrism and offer critical views on environmental accountability. She holds a M.A. in Critical and Gender Studies from Bologna University and a Ph.D. in Creative Media from the City University of Hong Kong. Her research has been published in academic journals such as Leonardo and Performance Research, and her artworks have been presented in numerous exhibitions and festivals in Mexico, Europe, and Asia.

foreground: Rebiosis Ritual (2023); background: Microbial Emancipation stills & video (2020). Maro Pebo: The Death of a Naturalist. The Rest, Ithaca, New York

photo: Maro Pebo

Exhibition curated by Rodrigo Guzman-Serrano with help from Camaron Cohen & Ben Bookout.

Exhibition co-sponsored by the Cornell Council for the Arts. In conjunction with the exhibition, Maro Pebo delivered an artist lecture at the History of Art department, Cornell University, on April 10, 2023.