Explore the Intricate Beauty of microBIOPHILIA at the Hicks Art Center Gallery

Finely detailed works by seven artists delve into humans’ affinity for living organisms through April 5

There’s a world of beauty that we never see, according to Caryn Babaian, a Bucks County Community College biology instructor and artist whose works are part of the Hicks Art Center Gallery’s “microBIOPHILIA” exhibition through April 5.

“This show is about micro worlds which people really disregard, about how these intricate lives of little

organisms affect us,” says Babaian, whose chalk drawing of a "Radiolarian" protozoa is shown at right. “Art is bringing that to the forefront. [This shows that] the artist’s perception is just as valid as scientific data, because the data do not produce the shape or the form that the artist can.”

Curated by Susan Hagen, the exhibition features finely detailed works by seven artists who explore biophilia, or humans’ affinity for other living organisms. The show includes works by Gregory Brellochs (above left), Lindsay Feuer(right), Jeanne Jaffe (below left), Eva Kwong (bottom right), Bruce Pollock, and Nami Yamamoto, in addition to Babaian.

Scientist Edward O. Wilson explained biophilia as “the innate tendency [of humans] to focus on life and lifelike processes,” according to Hagen. The curator says the exhibition explores this curiosity through artwork by artists who are all looking very closely, even microscopically, at the natural world.

“The work reveals a serious curiosity about the forms of nature and the essence of life,” says Hagen. “In much of this work, imagination and fact are combined to expose an unseen truth about the organisms around us.”

Admission and parking are free. Gallery hours are Mon. and Fri. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Tue. – Thu. 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. – noon (March 12 – 17: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.). For more information, call 215-504-8531.

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Contact:

Jean Dolan Assistant Director, Public Relations 215-968-8094/8093