Experience UNDERSTORY, an exhibition featuring the works of Krista Townsend and Niki Hare.
Inspired by the science of plant intelligence, UNDERSTORY reveals a world of unseen networks, quiet resilience, and the layered beauty thriving beneath the forest canopy.
Opening to the public during First Fridays, March 7, 5:00PM–8:00PM
An artists' talk hosted by Nic Lee, Ph.D., author of Endless Ecosystems.
Phaeton Gallery, 114 Old Preston Ave
Gallery open Saturdays and Sundays noon–5:00PM and by appointment.
The Artists
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Krista Townsend
ARTIST
Townsend earned a BA in painting and biology from Penn State, studied at The Schuler School of Fine Arts, and completed an MA in Medical and Biological Illustration at Johns Hopkins in 1998. She built a career as a medical illustrator before returning to painting, studying at The Art League School in Alexandria and apprenticing with portrait and landscape painter Edward Reed. Her work merges scientific precision with artistic expression, reflecting a deep understanding of anatomy, light, & form.
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Niki Hare
ARTIST
Niki Hare is a self-taught British artist exploring her subject matter through spontaneous, layered paintings. Based in Tewkesbury, UK, she embraces an unfiltered process, moving between canvases to uncover forgotten elements. Her work conveys imbalance and emotion, incorporating words for protection. Hare’s work dissects and explores the world around her. A visual diary, her art invites multiple interpretations, offering bright yet complex narratives. Hare has exhibited internationally.
Read more at nikihare.com
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Nic Lee
HEAD OF ECOLOGY, OXMAN
Nic Lee
Nic Lee (UVA, Harvard, MIT Mediated Matter) of Earlysville will host a brief talk with the artists. His research explores Endless Ecosystems, where all materials are produced and consumed by ecosystems, using artificial intelligence to model organic growth in designed environments. His work at OXMAN bridges human and ecological needs, shaping sustainable frameworks for architecture and construction. Lee's work has been exhibited at MoMA and flown aboard the International Space Station.
Read more at niclee.co.
The Gallery
Examples of The Work
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Solvitur Ambulando
Solvitur ambulando (Latin: [ˈsolwitur ambuˈlandoː]) is a Latin phrase which means "it is solved by walking", referring to an anecdotal, practical solution to a seemingly complex philosophical problem. It is often attributed to Saint Augustine in a refutation of Zeno's paradoxes of motion.
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Body Memory
"...biological awareness suffuses the whole plant body. As any plant grows, it builds its body to suit its environment, both in root and shoot. The shape that emerges is a direct response to the physical obstacles it encountered…"
– The Light Eaters, Zoë Schlanger
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Collective Intelligence
"Maybe everything in nature is not a battle with a clear winner. Sometimes it may be an improvisation, or collaboration."
– The Light Eaters, Zoë Schlanger
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Microcosm
"Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm - a little universe"
– Charles Darwin
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When We Actually Look
"What's astonishing is the gulf between what we expect to find and what we find when we actually look."
– Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life
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Fox Haven
“Many [plants] are so ingenious that they seem nearly impossible for an order of life that we’ve mostly relegated to the margins of our own lives, the decorations that frame the theatrics of being an animal.”
– The Light Eaters, Zoë Schlanger
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Dense Vegetation
"Complexity itself may be the answer."
– The Light Eaters, Zoë Schlanger
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Leaves of the Same Tree
"All living organisms are leaves on the same tree of life. The various functions of plants and animals and their specialized organs are manifestations of the same living matter."
– Albert Szent-Gyorgyi