1. The_Gaia_Hypothesis.jpg
Nov 16, 04:26 pm

THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS CHAPTER TWO: PALM TREES ALSO DIE Friday, November 17th, 2023 Opening Reception 6pm - 10pm THE ELEMENTAL Palm Springs, California

THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS
CHAPTER TWO: PALM TREES ALSO DIE

Friday, November 17th, 2023
Opening Reception
6pm – 10pm

THE ELEMENTAL
800 Vella Road D – Palm Springs, California 92264

Featuring works by
RACHID BOUHAMIDI

BILL LEIGH BREWER

CHARLOTTE CHARBONNEL

ZOE CROSHER

DIEGO ASCENCIO FUENTES

JEFF FROST

FRANCESCA GABBIANI

MEHDI-GEORGES LAHLOU

VINCENT LAMOUROUX

ED RUSCHA

CHRIS SANCHEZ

ROBERT SMITHSON

KATRIN STRÖBEL

REBECCA WEBB

Curated by

CHRISTOPHER YGGDRE

Opening reception featuring a DJ set by Indio Cholo

& Modern Mexican Food by Hoja Blanca

About the Exhibition
The exhibition “Palm Trees Also Die” is the second chapter in THE ELEMENTAL’s inaugural cycle of exhibitions. The purpose of this cycle is to draw a visual, sensitive and performative writing of a collective and imaginary novel dedicated to the Gaia Hypothesis. According to the Gaia Hypothesis formulated by engineer and chemist James Lovelock and microbiologist Lynn Margulis at the dawn of the 70s, Gaia is the name given to the Earth defined as a living, self-regulating super-organism that maintains a positive balance for life. With the Gaia Hypothesis, we are invited to change our conception of our environment, to understand the subtle interdependencies between all living components.
After the first chapter dedicated to the four fundamental elements: Earth, Fire, Water & Air, this second chapter calls upon the Palm Tree. This chapter is even more symbolic given that the surrounding Coachella Valley is the birthplace of California’s only endemic palm tree, the Washingtonia Filifera or Máwul in the Cahuilla language. Since time immemorial, the Cahuilla nation has nurtured a reasoned, symbiotic relationship with the Valley’s Oases. They have preserved fruitful alliances between the living community – flora and fauna – and the Palm trees. This exhibition is dedicated to the Cahuilla Nation. One of their founding stories, as told by Francisco Patencio in his book “Stories and Legends of the Palm Springs Indians,” recounts the transformation of a man into the first palm tree for the benefit of his people.
This exhibition is all about hearing what the Palm Tree has to say to us as a privileged witness to our history, and giving it a status beyond its ornamental qualities. Remembering primordial alliances with the Palm is an ethical imperative. The Palm tree is familiar to us by its silhouette and contemporary representations, but profoundly distant and foreign as long as we consider it an indiscriminately disposable utility.

About THE ELEMENTAL

THE ELEMENTAL’s approach to multidisciplinary exhibitions and programming aims to advance global intersections between art and environment – placing emphasis on the evolution of Earth & Land Art, BioArt & Sound Art.
Housed within a large-scale industrial building located in Palm Springs, THE ELEMENTAL is a non-profit art center established through the collaborative partnership between the Paris-based Fondation LAccolade – lnstitut de France founded by Catherine Dobler, and Epicenter Projects (Fulcrum Arts), founded by Coachella Valley artist Cristopher Cichocki. This contemporary center for the arts was designed to showcase exhibitions, lectures, workshops, performances, and printed editions organized under the direction of French curator Christopher Yggdre of Fondation LAccolade – Institut de France. Additionally, THE ELEMENTAL will facilitate visiting international artists selected from the Fondation LAccolade residency program that will engage with the surrounding desert regions of Southern California and the greater Western United States.

THE ELEMENTAL
800 Vella Rd D
Palm Springs, California 92264
by appointment

www.theelemental.org

 
News & Events
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  2. The FLAG Art Foundation invites you to join us for the opening reception of The Swimmer, an expansive group exhibition inspired by John Cheever’s 1964 short story of the same name at The FLAG Art Foundation, on Thursday, June 6th, from 6-8pm. Posted June  5, 2024
  3. HOLLYWOOD DREAM BUBBLE: Ed Ruscha's Influence in Los Angeles and Beyond Opening Tonight in Los Angeles! Posted April 27, 2024
  4. THE ELEMENTAL invites you to join us Saturday March 2, 2024 from 6:30-10pm for the opening reception for the new iteration of our evolving exhibition: THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS Chapter Two 2.0: Palm Trees Also Die Posted February 29, 2024
  5. THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS CHAPTER TWO: PALM TREES ALSO DIE Friday, November 17th, 2023 Opening Reception 6pm - 10pm THE ELEMENTAL Palm Springs, California Posted November 16, 2023
  6. Recent Acquisitions Zoe Crosher California Museum of Photography November 18, 2023 to March 30, 2024 Posted November 16, 2023
  7. The way Eve Babitz wrote about art in Los Angeles was art in itself, LA Times, December 21, 2021 by Christina Catherine Martinez Posted December 21, 2021
  8. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University acquires Prospecting Palm Frond Posted July  1, 2021
  9. Silver Art Projects Inaugural Evening Expo Thursday, May 6, 2021 | World Trade Center | New York City, NY Posted May  3, 2021
  10. In Auction: moCa Cleveland: Benefit Auction 2021 Posted May  3, 2021
  11. Prospecting Palm Fronds on cover of publication of To Bough and To Bend, Los Angeles, CA Posted December  9, 2020
  12. Announcing Participation in the Inaugural Silver Art 2020 Cohort, WTC / NYC Posted July 28, 2020
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  15. Venice Family Clinic 50th Online Benefit Auction! May 3-19, 2020 on Artsy Posted May  5, 2020
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  17. To Bough and To Bend, opening today at Bridge Projects in Los Angeles from 12-7pm, through April 25, 2020 Posted March 14, 2020
  18. VIP Studio Visits at The Elizabeth Foundation of the Arts, Saturday, March 7, 2020 / 2–4 PM Posted March  6, 2020
  19. Mae Wested from the Disappearing of Michelle duBois in the Monica King Contemporary Art Grotto, New York, NY Posted February  1, 2020
  20. L.A. on Fire Catalogue available now Posted January 15, 2020
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  29. Prospecting Palm Fronds published in new issue of Full Blede / Issue Seven: The Continuant January 2019 Posted January 18, 2019
  30. Please Support the 24th Annual Artwalk NY Coalition for the Homeless, Nov 27, 2018 Posted November 27, 2018
  31. Wildfires and Dead Palm Trees Haunt the L.A. Dream in Zoe Crosher’s New Show | Seen | New York Mag | Nov 17, 2018 Posted November 20, 2018
  32. An Artist Talk with Zoe Crosher this Saturday, November 10th at 2 p.m. at Patrick Painter, Inc. Posted November  7, 2018
  33. Zoe Crosher's "Sunlight as Spotlight" opens at Patrick Painter on October 19th Posted October 10, 2018
  34. Check out Zoe Crosher's Art Work | VoyageLA | August 13, 2018 Posted August 13, 2018
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  54. Art Seed Artist Talk at the Marble House Project Posted June 20, 2017
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  60. The Fainting Club in Palm Springs inspired by the current exhibition at The Palm Springs Art Museum: Women in Abstract Expressionism Posted March  1, 2017
  61. Joanie 4 Jackie, Zoe Crosher brings Miranda July and Astria Suparak to CalArts during their Pacific Coast Tour, November 13, 2000. Posted February 17, 2017
  62. SUPERNATURE, Organized by Zoe Crosher & Emma Gray at Five Car Garage Los Angeles, CA, January 2018 Posted February 16, 2017
  63. Panel Discussion / Art in the Age of Donald Trump at Art Los Angeles Contemporary Posted January 24, 2017
  64. Amplify Compassion: An Art Sale to Benefit the ACLU at 356 S.Mission / Los Angeles, CA Posted January 19, 2017
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  73. "Madame Electrics," curated by Shana Lutker, at The Pit, Los Angeles, June 12th Posted June  5, 2016
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  97. The Fainting Club Holiday Party in Los Angeles, December 11th Posted December 11, 2015
  98. Los Angeles County Museum Of Art to acquire work from Out The Window (LAX) Series Posted November 29, 2015
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  100. The Fainting Club Dinner in Syracuse, New York, November 15th Posted November 12, 2015
Projects
  • The New LA-LIKE
    1. LA-LIKE: Sunlight As Spotlight
    2. LA-LIKE: Prospecting Palm Fronds
    3. LA-LIKE: Escaped Exotics
    4. LA-LIKE: Transgressing the Pacific
    5. LA-LIKE: LA Imaginary As Unlit Lightboxes
    6. LA-LIKE: Fools Gold Dust (Mimic) Paintings
    7. LA-LIKE: Day For Night (or Sunlight As Spotlight)
    8. The Manifest Destiny Billboard Project, in conjunction with LAND
    9. LA-LIKE: Mirage
    10. Shangri-LA'd & Expanded Shangri-LA'd
    11. LA-LIKE: Composition I-10, Desert Center
    12. The Manifest Destiny Billboard Perfume
    13. LA Disappearing Frond-Like
    14. LA-LIKE: Transgressing the Pacific, Dessert Concepts & Recipes
    15. For An Evening with Eve Babitz, at the Chateau Marmont
    16. Tear Sheet Posters
    17. LA-LIKE (LOST)
    18. LA-LIKE: LAXART Billboard
    19. The Pools I Shot
    20. LA-LIKE
  • The Michelle duBois Project
    1. The Uniqued Series
    2. The Additive Dust Series
    3. Mae Wested
    4. The Disbanding of Michelle duBois
    5. The Vanishing of Michelle duBois
    6. The Disappearing of Michelle duBois
    7. The Other Disappeared Nurse
    8. Silhouetted
    9. All Her Shadows
    10. Blackened Last Four Days & Nights in Tokyo
    11. Almost the Same
    12. The Unveiling of Michelle duBois
    13. The Unraveling of Michelle duBois
    14. Posed Postcards
    15. Polaroided
    16. The Reconsidered Archive of Michelle duBois
    17. Obfuscated
  • The Santa Cruz Kids
  • Out The Window (LAX)
  • The Fainting Club
    1. The Fainting Club (London)
    2. The Fainting Club (New York)
    3. The Fainting Club (Los Angeles)
    4. The Fainting Club (More Cities)
    5. The Fainting Club (About)
  • –
  • Publications
    1. LA-LIKE: Escaped Exotics / The Bronzed Blossoms of Madame, published by X Artists' Books
    2. The Good & The Glamorous, A Memoir of Misremembering & The Cold War
    3. LA-LIKE: Transgressing the Pacific, Published by Hesse Presse, Los Angeles, CA - Spring 2016 (Sold Out)
    4. Both Sides of Sunset: Photographing Los Angeles (May 2015) Published by Metropolis Books
    5. Forthcoming: The Re-duBois Book
    6. Returning to Berlin / Publication curated by Kim Schoen - Motto, Berlin (August 2013)
    7. Why Art Photography? by Lucy Soutter (2013) Published by Routelage
    8. Volume 4: The Disappearance of Michelle duBois, aka *Mitchi* (Fall 2012) Published by Aperture Ideas
    9. Volume 3: The Unveiling of Michelle duBois, aka *Cricket* (Spring 2012) Published by Aperture Ideas
    10. Volume 2: The Unraveling of Michelle duBois, aka *Alice Johnson* (Fall 2011) Published by Aperture Ideas
    11. Volume 1: The Reconsidered Archive of Michelle duBois, aka *Kathy* (Spring 2011) Published by Aperture Ideas
    12. Out the Window (LAX) with essays by Norman Klein, Pico Iyer, & Julian Meyers (2007)
    13. NTNTNT (2004)
    14. L.A. Now: Volume One, Published by Art Center College of Design, August 2002