Journal of Therolinguistics
Boddy House
March 21–July 5, 2026
Nicole Brugger, Bork Bibliothek, 2022-25 (detail). Courtesy of the artist.
Marianne Hoffmeister Castro, A Study of Beaverness, 2020 (detail). Courtesy of the artist.
Alice Bucknell, Nightcrawlers, 2025 (detail). Courtesy of the artist.
This spring, the Boddy House at Descanso Gardens transforms into a living research center exploring the concept of non-human languages in nature through works by seven international artists.
Curated by Oscar Salguero, the exhibition Journal of Therolinguistics explores communication across species as acts of ecological kinship and fascination.
The exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the expressive worlds of plants and animals. Experience birdsong as multicolor landscapes, deep listening sessions with plants, lichen bodies as ancient grammar, the worldbuilding narratives of beavers, bat and flower pollination role-play, and hidden messages carried in Amazonian trees or beetle-carved branches from Swiss forests.
Therolinguistics, a term coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in 1974, refers to a fictional field focused on understanding languages beyond the human.
Le Guin’s provocation remains urgent: rather than approaching communication in other species through human rules and limitations, the exhibition asks what it means to listen, learn, and encounter their worlds on their own terms.
Journal of Therolinguistics features international artists Aistė Ambrazevičiūtė, Alice Bucknell, Audax M. Gawler & Pri Bertucci, Lucio Arese, Marianne Hoffmeister Castro, Nicole Brugger, and Paige Emery. Together, their research explores the moving messages that plants and animals leave for us and how human actions affect their worlds.
Journal of Therolinguistics and its programs are generously funded, in part, by Perenchio Foundation and an endowment from Heather Sturt Haaga and Paul G. Haaga, Jr. The title of the exhibition is used with the kind permission of the Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust.
The exhibition is open at the Boddy House from March 21–July 5, 2026, 10am–4pm daily. Entry to the Boddy House is included in the price of admission or membership.
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Natura Naturata: Nature’s Action
Sturt Haaga Gallery
January 24–May 31, 2026
Carolina Montejo, Earth Cosmos, 2016 (detail). Courtesy of the artist.
Luciana Abait, Ivy, 2009 (detail). Courtesy of the artist.
Rosana Schoijett, Descomposición, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.
Natura Naturata: Nature’s Action features the work of eight female artists who explore their bond with the natural world through contemporary photography and video.
By means of the conceptual and visual decomposition of natural elements, this diverse body of work delves into themes related to our connection with the environment, as well as complex examinations of human impact on nature.
The concept of “nature” has changed over the course of human history, shifting from “natura naturata” (passive matter) to “natura naturans” (self-generating matter).
Since their introduction, photography and video have significantly influenced the discussions around our evolving understanding of the organic world, intersecting with fields such as biology, philosophy, and art.
Natura Naturata: Nature’s Action is curated by Claudia Pretelin. Exhibiting artists include Luciana Abait, Laura Aguilar, Jackie Castillo, Maru García, Graciela Iturbide, Carolina Montejo, Tricia Rainwater, and Rosana Schoijett.
Natura Naturata: Nature’s Action and its programs are generously funded, in part, by Perenchio Foundation and an endowment from Heather Sturt Haaga and Paul G. Haaga, Jr.
The exhibition is open at the Sturt Haaga Gallery from January 24–May 31, 2026, 10am–4pm daily. Entry to the Gallery is included in the price of admission or membership.
Top photo: Tricia Rainwater, Untitled, 2020 (detail).
View the exhibition catalogue
Click here.
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