Biophilia: Pittsburgh

The Thurs., March 3 Biophilia: Pittsburgh meeting will feature APT artist Elise Adibi, who will talk about her project “Respiration Paintings,” a series of paintings made with 100% pure essential oils which are distilled from plants and used for aromatherapy. Adibi calls these paintings “Respiration Paintings” because she sees them as existing not only as physical objects, but also in the air; when they are first exhibited, the paintings emit scents that allow an audience to breathe them as well as see them. While her use of aromatherapy oils in oil painting is new, plant oils such as linseed and safflower have been used since the beginning of oil painting. Adibi’s paintings investigate the etheric substance that binds together the viewer and the painting through a living force. Her use of plant oils connects contemporary abstract painting to its pre-modern history of materials, engaging the tradition of oil painting and renewing its potential for healing through a recovered connection to the natural world.