Natura Non Constristatur
@ SECRIST | BEACH
1801 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60622
Opening Friday, September 19th, from 5PM - 8PM
On view through Saturday, November 15th
NATURA NON CONSTRISTATUR
September 19 – November 15, 2025
Opening reception: Friday, September 19, 5-8PM
Artists: Whitney Bedford, Jeff Carter, Mitchell Charbonneau, Assaf Evron, Rick Leong, Morgan Mandalay, Kiki Smith, William Staples, Ena Swansea and Amy Vogel.
(Chicago) SECRIST | BEACH is pleased to present the salon invitational exhibition Natura Non Constristatur. Natura Non Constristatur brings together a group of artists that formally and conceptually explore the cultural potency of nature – specifically trees and forests – in relation to humanity. The exhibition includes an intergenerational roster of artists and was curated with the assistance of gallery artist Jaqueline Surdell. Natura Non Constristatur is presented concurrently with Surdell’s solo exhibition The Conversion: Rings, Rupture, and the Forest Archive as well as a site specific installation, titled Lumen Reliquary, created by Andee Hess of Osmose Design. These exhibitions will be on view from September 19 through November 15, 2025 at 1801 W. Hubbard St. An opening reception will take place on Friday, September 19 from 5 to 8PM.
Natura Non Constristatur is a Latin phrase meaning “Nature Is Not Saddened.” It expresses the idea that the natural world is indifferent to human suffering and misfortune. This phrase is often associated with a philosophical outlook that emphasizes the insignificance of human affairs in the grand scheme of the universe. It invites reflection on whether nature truly coexists with us – or merely endures us. As such, the relationship between humans and nature is complex and, as some would hope, deeply interconnected. We like to imagine a symbiotic bond – one of mutual support and harmony. But in this Age of Anthropocene, reality teaches us otherwise.
The artists in Natura Non Constristatur employ a range of approaches and materials within this dynamic that explores the profundity of our relationship to forests. Throughout recorded human existence, these woodland areas have projected a wide range of cultural and emotional feelings stirring awe and reverence while conjuring everything from mystery and divinity, to fear and comfort. Alongside these compulsions, one might also see elements akin to the spiritual realm, organized or otherwise. This intersection of nature and spirituality compounded by the notion of nature’s lack of empathy creates a curious predicament ripe for exploring.
IMAGE: Rick Leong, Wild Willow, 2019. Oil on canvas, 96 x 72 inches.
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Tags: Amy Vogel, Assaf Evron, Chicago, Ena Swansea, Jeff Carter, Kiki Smith, Mitchell Charbonneau, Morgan Mandalay, Natura Non Constristatur, Rick Leong, Secrist | Beach, West Town, Whitney Bedford, William Staples
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