"Mother Mangroves" features new work by local interdisciplinary artist Meg Wallace. The exhibition includes paintings, photography, poetry, sculpture and a sound installation of recordings from nature taken at the Deering Estate. Wallace's new body of work contemplates the natural rhythms and forms of the mangrove forests surrounding the Deering Estate and much of the South Florida coastline. Taking cues from the lyrical lines of mangrove stems and branches, Wallace creates hypnotic and enthralling paintings in vibrant hues and gold leaf that capture the energy and spirituality of nature. In her photographic series, Wallace casts local doula Sheila Simms-Watson as the "mother," an eternal figure of love, strength and symbol of refuge within the landscape of the mangroves. Poetry is included throughout the exhibition, and features words by children, musicians and the artist herself that tell the story of the maternal power and grace found in nature.
Mother Mangroves is currently on display in the Great Hall gallery of the Stone House at the Deering Estate. The Stone House was built in 1922 by Charles Deering, and the Great Hall originally held many of the masterpieces of his collection, including paintings by John Singer Sargent, Ramon Casas i Carbó, Rembrandt, and Goya, among others. The Great Hall serves as a rotating exhibition space at the Deering Estate where we continue Charles Deering's legacy of supporting artists through a robust program of rotating contemporary art exhibitions.
