The Chimeric Botanical Explorations of Photographer Nicholas Hubicki
Text by Oman Morí (@omanmori)
Nature's adaptability to environmental shifts and the resilience within wildlife and ecosystems have long been observed. However, the rapid acceleration of human activities has triggered a significant evolution, leading to varied interpretations within the scientific community regarding our current era. The emergence of the Anthropocene theory explains the profound impact of human activities, marking a new geological epoch primarily shaped by this. In this discussion lies the central role of fire—an element historically influential in our industries and daily lives, as emphasized by the pyrocene theory highlighting our excessive reliance on fire, especially in the combustion of fossil fuels.
Australian photographer Nicholas Hubicki explore a future where plants adapt by blending their DNA with other species in order to prevail. His studio-captured images portray amalgamated plant varieties, either manually intertwined or digitally composited. In his project titled “Quimera,” he invents new plants with specific scientific names. Hubicki draws a parallel between the original concept of "chimera" from Homer's Iliad—depicting "a lion in the forepart, a serpent in the rear, and a goat in the middle, exhaling blazing fire" — and its biological connotation signifying an organism comprising diverse genetic tissues or interspecies hybrids in genetics.
Hubicki's work makes a direct reference to the historical exploration of plant studies at the beginning of photography, like the pioneering work by Karl Blossfeldt. In this case, too, photography becomes a tool not just for capturing reality but for exploring abstract studies of form, lines, shadows, and light. His futuristic reinterpretation can be atemporal, evident in the black-and-white abstract botanical creations that exude an ethereal and ancient aura, possibly achieved through the use of rear projection technique. By employing this method, he projects natural landscapes behind the plants, imbuing them with a theatrical appeal.
“Each work suggests some form of extreme environmental and genetic alteration. As a result, each new specimen ‘created’ from both natural and especially manmade environmental alterations is a reminder of both nature’s endless potential and its precarious survival”, concludes Hubicki.
To explore Nicholas Hubicki's work further, visit his website or connect via his social media platforms.
Bio:
Nicholas Hubicki is a photographic artist from Melbourne/Naarm. His work is interested in the subtle and overt relationship between object, site and memory. In particular, the work is derived from cultural and historic research where objects/sites are resuscitated into a new accord with past and present. His current work focuses on both the constructed and natural world drawing upon sources such as landscape, entropy, architecture, botany and geology.
