Karin Denson’s practice foregrounds environmental damage, but also the social and political conditions that shape our present. Her paintings and collages explore the intersections of nature and technology, often through the visual language of the glitch.
“I care about the fragile interdependencies that connect human and nonhuman life. We are part of the same beautiful, endangered, and wounded world, and protecting other species is also a way of protecting ourselves,” she says, adding: ... view more »
Karin Denson’s practice foregrounds environmental damage, but also the social and political conditions that shape our present. Her paintings and collages explore the intersections of nature and technology, often through the visual language of the glitch.
“I care about the fragile interdependencies that connect human and nonhuman life. We are part of the same beautiful, endangered, and wounded world, and protecting other species is also a way of protecting ourselves,” she says, adding: “Ecological crisis is real, and science is more important than ever if we are to meet the increasing challenges of our times.”
Recent events in California bring this urgency into focus. At Año Nuevo State Park, a place Karin visits several times each year, bird flu outbreaks have for the first time affected marine mammals. About a hundred Northern Elephant Seals died, and the virus also infected a Sea Otter and California Sea Lions. Thanks to long-term collaborative scientific research, the outbreak was quickly discovered, and public health and conservation measures were put in place.
Such developments underscore the immediacy and systemic interconnection of environmental precarity. They also show the importance of scientific research and environmental protection.
“Other developments, like exceptions to the Endangered Species Act in the Gulf of Mexico and the possible risks they bring, worry me,” Denson says. “There can be a chain reaction that impacts not just wildlife through oil spills, noise, and increased traffic. The same waters and coastal habitats also support fishing, food, tourism, storm protection, local economies, and the health and culture of coastal communities. When one part of the system is damaged, the effects ripple outward. Sea turtles, whales, wetlands, and humans are all connected through shared water, food webs, air, climate, labor, and place. All our lives meet there.”
“Science and conservation efforts are crucial because they help us understand how these connections work before damage becomes irreversible”, Denson states.
The exhibition includes paintings, photographs, and collages
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Opening Reception: First Friday, May 1, 2026 from 5-8PM, light refreshments will be served.
356 N Main St, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
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