A new exhibition will open in the Morton Arboretum this coming spring featuring a collection of brand-new sculptures. Titled “Of the Earth“, it will feature five exclusive new works from Polish-American artist Olga Ziemska.
The incoming exhibition will bring to a close Human + Nature’s two-year run at the arboretum which first unveiled five breathtaking sculptures by renowned multi-disciplinary South African artist Daniel Popper in May 2021.
Already the largest-ever exhibition of Popper’s work, the arboretum then added three additional sculptures designed by Popper on June 17th, 2022 bringing the total to 8. While Human + Nature will officially close at the end of February 2023 to make way for “Of the Earth”, Popper’s pieces of art will remain in the Arboretum’s grounds until they are replaced with the new exhibition pieces in May.
Like Human + Nature, the sculptures on show for “Of the Earth” will be created exclusively for Arboretum visitors. It will also be the largest exhibition of Olga Ziemska’s work to date as it was for her predecessor Daniel popper.
“Olga will bring a fresh and evocative new display to The Morton Arboretum’s art exhibition program, which has enhanced the guest experience among our tree collections,” said the Arboretum’s vice president of learning and engagement, Preston Bautista.
“The experience of art paired with nature throughout the Arboretum has been very appealing to both frequent visitors and those coming for the very first time. We are continuing this approach of one-of-a-kind exhibitions aligned with the Arboretum’s mission that really motivate people to get outdoors among trees and explore nature.”
According to an official Morton Arboretum release, Ziemska’s sculptures will be created from reclaimed tree branches and other natural materials gathered from various locations throughout the Arboretum’s grounds.
As with Human + Nature, they will be placed in various locations across its 1,700 acres leading guests to areas they may not have explored before.
“The exhibition will explore the artist’s expression and philosophy that, she says, “We are nature.” Her aim is to remind people that “everything in life is derived from the same basic elements that form everything in nature, including ourselves. There is no separation.”
Her surname in Polish, ‘Ziemska’ means “of the earth” and the artist said that some of the Arboretum’s tree-filled landscapes inspired her because they reminded her of the landscapes of Poland, where she has previously lived and regularly visits her family.
Opening on May 26, 2023, the exhibition will run through spring 2025. More information can be found at mortonarb.org.
[Featured image by Olga Ziemska courtesy of Morton Arboretum]