'Biophilia' explores the intersection of nature, art and skateboarding

Aug. 3—Jeanna Gienke has a foot in design and the fashion world.

Yet, it's biophilic design that has captured her attention.

"After the pandemic, people have been spending time in their homes and want to create a personal oasis," Gienke says. "Plants help us stay mentally and physically more healthy."

Gienke teamed up with Bobby Beals, owner Santa Fe-based Kamagraph Skateboards for her latest exhibit, which begins on Friday, Aug. 5, at PITH Studio in Santa Fe.

The opening reception for the show takes place from 4-7 p.m.

"The complex sounds of running water and the fractals of light through the trees, the smell of a rainstorm and the visual repetition of tree trunks; these things speak to the oldest part of us and they invoke so many health benefits," Geinke says.

In preparation for her collaborative show with the edgy curators at Kamagraph Skateboards, the show reaches into the voice of biophilia.

Biophilia is the theory that human beings possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature, and when we escape the interiors of square rooms with white walls and look deeper into the realm of nature and design with intention, we find our spirit hungry for the multitude of ways to explore this concept.

Discovering this further, Kamagraph Skateboards has given over 30 blank decks to artists to share what biophilic design means to them. A skateboard art show surrounded by plants and botanicals inside the PITH Studio at Lena Street Lofts that welcomes the viewer to explore their own return to nature.

Gienke will have some kokedama plants for sale, as well as four big terrariums.

Kokedama — Japanese for "moss ball" — is a style of potting up plants in a ball of moss and displaying them in a dish or suspended in the air. The style comes from a centuries-old tradition of exhibiting the exposed root ball of a bonsai specimen on a plate to highlight its elegant root system.

Beals will be showcasing skateboard decks from various artists as part of the event.

"Skateboarding has redefined my life, compelled me to play outside with nature and I'm always enjoying the thrill of the clouds and blue skies above me with the juxtaposition of the concrete below," Beals says. "Discussing the concept of biophilia with Jeanna Gienke, owner of PITH Studio (plant shop), I began to understand the relationship we humans have with nature and craved a deeper understanding. I knew other artists and skaters would be excited to deepen their own understanding, so we all decided to have this unique show."

'Biophilia'

Featuring work from Jeanna Gienke and Kamagraph Skateboards

WHEN: Opening reception 4-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5

WHERE: PITH Studio, 1610 Lena St., Suite A, Santa Fe

HOW MUCH: Free to attend