Genspace Artists Debut Biomaterials BioArt Show at Flux IV During Climate Week
Opening during Climate Week at Flux IV in Queens, the "Source Material: Genspace Biomaterials Studio BioArt Exhibit" features creations by Genspace artists hailing from Sunset Park, Brooklyn. This exhibition highlights the use of renewable and biodegradable art materials as substitutes for synthetic options, showcasing natural pigments, algae yarn, and alternative clays. In response to recent climate-related heatwaves and disasters, Becca Rodriguez displays "Puddle Pigments" (2026), crafted from mugwort, mulberry, and serviceberry pigments. The exhibit encourages exploration of natural materials as sources of innovative artistic challenges. Additionally, it emphasizes that prior to the 19th century, artists derived colors from local plants and minerals. The exhibition will be open for three days.
Key facts
- "Source Material: Genspace Biomaterials Studio BioArt Exhibit" runs three days at Flux IV in Queens during Climate Week
- Artists come from the Genspace community biology lab in Sunset Park, Brooklyn
- The exhibition highlights natural pigments, algae yarn, and alternative clays as renewable, biodegradable alternatives to synthetic art supplies
- Becca Rodriguez presents "Puddle Pigments" (2026), using mugwort, mulberry, and serviceberry pigments on paper with water samples, test tubes, and video
- Four Genspace artists share sustainable approaches rooted in local ecosystems, scientific inquiry, and community collaboration
- Synthetic dyes and paint tubes were developed in Europe in the 19th century
- Natural colorants include the indigo plant, cochineal beetle, and turmeric root, among thousands of organic color sources
- Some pigments and techniques hold symbolic and cultural meaning, especially in Indigenous communities and artistic traditions throughout the Global South
Entities
Artists
- Becca Rodriguez
Institutions
- Genspace
- Flux IV
- Hyperallergic
- PBS NewsHour
- JSTOR Daily
- Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
Locations
- Queens
- United States
- Brooklyn
- Sunset Park
- New York City
- Europe
- Global South
- Nepal