This body of work emerges from an understanding of the world as animate, relational and resonant. Drawing on ecological philosophy, plant intelligence research and mystical traditions, the exhibition considers nature not as passive matter but as sentient, multidimensional and capable of dialogue with us. As Eduardo Kohn suggests, thought may not belong exclusively to humans; we are not the only “selves” in the world.
The woven forms that appear throughout the exhibition function as metaphors for interconnectedness and non-linear time. Inspired by cross-sections of stems, tree rings and the Ayahuasca vine, these structures resemble organic maps — diagrams of growth, decay, recurrence and return. They speak to cyclical temporality, to thresholds crossed, and to the deep continuity between life and death.
Gold leaf works in the Alchemy series invoke solar energy as both sacred symbol and biological force. Plants, the ultimate alchemists, transform light into sustenance; they breathe in our out-breath and return oxygen to us. In this exchange lies a profound mutuality. The reference to Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa situates spiritual union within the body, drawing parallels between mystical revelation and altered states of consciousness — moments where the boundary between self and world dissolves.
The Amazon rainforest — Earth’s largest biological reservoir — underpins the exhibition’s ecological consciousness. Its vast system of trees operates as a planetary lung, releasing billions of tons of moisture daily into the atmosphere. This immense, interdependent system mirrors the mycelial networks evoked in the woven works and fruiting forms: structures of differentiation, protection and dispersal that sustain life across unseen scales.
Together, the works invite contemplation of humanity’s place within the web of life. We are not separate from it; we are threads within it. The exhibition asks what might shift if we understood consciousness, matter and time as woven — relational, cyclical and shared.
Cape Town–based artist Lyndi Sales (b.1973) explores perception, consciousness and systems of connectivity through a multidisciplinary practice spanning sculpture, installation, photography and works on paper. Her work investigates the relationship between internal states of awareness and external structures of knowledge, often drawing on scientific, philosophical and spiritual frameworks.
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