Olalekan Jeyifous and AD—WO Install 'Ancestral Ecologies' at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has launched its Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship with 'Ancestral Ecologies,' marking the debut of this exclusive biennial initiative. This fellowship pairs an artist with an environmental thinker to produce site-specific artworks that tackle issues of climate change and biodiversity. The first recipients are Brooklyn artist Olalekan Jeyifous and the architecture firm AD—WO, who have created four installations in the garden's northern section. These pieces delve into the idea of nonhuman vitality, influenced by Latinx, Afrodiasporic, and Indigenous perspectives that see nature as living and interconnected. Notable works include 'Serpentine Specter,' a shimmering tower of colored glass, and 'Sonic Strands,' which features wind-activated cowrie shells and recycled glass beads.