KARI LAINE / The Rhizome Remains
Curated by J. Sybylla Smith

February 12 – May 2, 2020

“Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden in the rhizome. [. . .] What we see is the blossom, which passes. The rhizome remains.” – Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Inspired by the botanical term “rhizome” and its philosophical counterpart, which suggest that all things are connected, Laine’s exhibition—The Rhizome Remains—hints at a hope for the future. We are all entangled; past and present, inanimate and organic, invisible and visible.

Header image: Loops and Whirls, Kari Laine

Each aspect of our environment has a lesson to impart. This work amplifies this agency and honors the wisdom still emanating from these muted voices. Although energy cannot be created or destroyed, vibrant energy of any sort has a life span. Human activity holds a sacred key. The daily choices we make about how we live are currently the major force in determining the livability of the planet which sustains us. The past unlocks mystery and beckons us to listen and observe. The glass-plate photographs in this series are made using a methodical, yet unpredictable, process—an apt metaphor for the lessons that inanimate objects and no-longer living creatures can impart. Together they weave a cautious tale: we were here and we are gone, can our ghosts rustle you awake? You too, are as we; temporal and temporary.

About the Artist

A visual artist based in the Midwest, Kari Laine grew up in an artistic and artisan family. As a child, she explored the river, streams, and woods of Wisconsin’s countryside, and she now draws inspiration from ghost stories, mythical figures, and the spirits of the land that surround her family home and studio. Through glass-plate photography, Kari explores the possibility that small, found objects—seemingly insignificant and often overlooked, viewed as trash or junk—can be remade through a story that gives them agency, a kind of power or voice. This, she hopes, will encourage the viewer to walk softer on this earth, to have more intelligent and sustainable engagements with vibrant matter and all living things. Kari Laine is currently a MA Visual Critical Studies Candidate at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, focusing on glass-plate photography and ecological sustainability. www.karilaine.com

About the Curator

J. Sybylla Smith is an independent curator, educator and consultant who has featured over 110 international artists in 27 solo or group exhibitions in the past 8 years. Her exhibits have been held in various traditional and non-traditional settings including a free-standing Boston-based gallery, a satellite gallery with the Griffin Museum of Photography and Digital Silver Imaging, Harvard University Ed Portal and Photoville in Brooklyn, NY. Two exhibits traveled to South America and Mexico. Smith created and teaches a concept development curriculum, Concept Aware®. A framework is introduced utilizing contemporary photography as illustration of 8 essential elements of creative practice. Pending publication, she teaches workshops nationally. As guest editor, author and book reviewer she has published articles on photography, contemporary art and gender parity in the arts. As an adjunct professor, guest lecturer and thesis advisor she has worked with The School of Visual Arts NYC, Harvard University, Wellesley University, Emerson College, Tufts Museum School of the Fine Arts and Emmanuel College. As a visiting lecturer Smith presents on Women in the Arts, Gender Parity and Creative Practice. She consults with individual artists, arts organizations and educational institutions to develop exhibitions and educational programming. www.jsybyllasmith.com