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Upon entering into TransPollination of Eden, viewers are immersed in a dazzling sculptural forest ecosystem populated with various pollinators and a large serpent. Ana Teresa Fernández has created an electrifying, abstract vision of plant and animal forms with patterned, mirrored surfaces and neon plexiglas foliage and appendages, all emanating a glowing light that almost pulses with power. As viewers see themselves reflected everywhere within the flora and fauna, their reflections invite them to recognize the interconnectivity between humans and the earth and our role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

Both the symbols and the forms in Fernández’ abstract plants and animals create a type of language that invokes the wisdom the plant queendom can teach us through its own intricate, rich network of communication. Their shapes and patterns are based on cuneiform symbols, the earliest known writing system for humans; the serpent references mythical Mayan deities of mediation and light. With the inclusion of human language and myth, Fernández also acknowledges another critically important connection we have to plant life - our reliance on trees and other plant materials to hold, carry and communicate human knowledge on paper and in books.

Ana Teresa Fernández was born in Tampico, Mexico, grew up in California, resides in San Francisco. She has created residencies and public work in Haiti, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, Cuba, Mexico & throughout the United States. Her work is is in the permanent collections of many museums, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California; Indi­anapolis Museum of Art, Indiana; Denver Art Museum, Colorado; Nevada Museum of Art, Reno; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, Illinois; The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry, Riverside, California; and the Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco, California and Paris, France.

Cabrillo Gallery’s LatinXperiencia series of annual exhibitions features LatinX artists speaking to a wide diversity of themes, offering a platform to foster cross-cultural connections and generate meaningful conversations within our diverse academic community and beyond.