Public Land Gallery is excited to announce the upcoming exhibition Jumbo’s Critter Room, featuring the imaginative collage and sculptural work of Andrea Bergen. Forget everything you know about collages—Bergen doesn’t just slap images together; she painstakingly pieces together a single, cohesive image from hundreds of tiny, hand-cut pieces of pastel drawing paper. From a distance, you might mistake these artworks for digital prints or paintings, but move closer and you’ll see the intricate layers that give these pieces a uniquely sculptural feel. Her technique is versatile enough to capture both the feral instincts of nature and the stark realities of the modern world. With bright, saturated colors and bold graphics, Bergen’s work feels like a playful splash of confetti—until you realize it’s a celebration of the apocalypse.
In her latest collection, Bergen tackles the existential dread of climate change, and humanity’s not-so-tidy footprint on our planet. Through a mix of literal and metaphorical imagery, she envisions a future where animals take the spotlight in a post-apocalyptic world. In this narrative, consumer products and architectural elements stand in for the extinct human race, while animals revel in their newfound freedom amidst the ruins of civilization. It’s a cheeky yet hopeful vision, suggesting that even after our inevitable self-destruction, nature will find a way to bounce back, pollution and all. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and you’ll feel fine.