Metamorphilia is a conceptual framework that embraces change. Hybridizing scientific research and creative process, Nina Elder imagines a future where planetary dynamics act as scores for human behavior and we become adept in the flux between life and death, grief and joy, creativity and mourning. Inspired by the story of biologic extinctions and resilience compressed into Boise’s metamorphic rock, Metamorphilia investigates personal and environmental potentiality.

During her residency, Nina asked the land how we can learn from cycles of fracture and transformation. Erosion was her teacher. Granite revealed what endures after disintegration. Explored and expressed through performance, drawing, and writing, Metamorphilia invigorates the mind and body towards the future, imagines a planet that is dynamic and beyond human control, yet fosters deep connection and stewardship. As Nina works towards the culmination of this project, she will share both collections and creations from her residency: photos, videos, sculptural props and pseudo-scientific tools.

Biography:
Artist and researcher Nina Elder creates deep time perspectives where planets, geology, and ecosystems are in constellation with social issues and personal narratives. With a focus on changing cultures and ecologies, Nina advocates for collaboration, fostering relationships between institutions, artists, scientists and diverse communities. Her work takes many forms, including drawings, murals, performance, pedagogy, and long term community-based projects.

As a renowned public speaker, Nina's talks have been hosted by museums and organizations around the world. Recent solo exhibitions of Nina’s art have been organized by SITE Santa Fe, Indianapolis Contemporary, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and university museums across the US. Her work has been featured in Art in America, VICE Magazine, Hyperallergic, and on PBS. Her writing has been published by Routledge Press, American Scientist, and Edge Effects Journal. Nina’s research has been supported by the Warhol Foundation, Rauschenberg Foundation, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and Mellon Foundation.

Nina Elder has a MFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and a BFA in Painting from the University of New Mexico. She had been living on the road and traveling for projects for the past decade.