Maria Faini

Responding to the climate crisis, my work addresses complex sensual capacities that humans share with other animals as well as trees, plants, and broader ecosystems. I often print with large pieces of driftwood and found wood, and draw with foraged charcoal created through California wildfires. I scavenge wood, letting it dry, burning it to bring the grain into relief to print on stretched canvas or paper. I use found charcoal in a similar way. All wood pieces are from Berkeley’s shoreline and city park spaces. I also work with paper made from pulped military uniforms and other defense materials, as well as synthetic clothing, as a way of reflecting on the social, cultural, and environmental destruction of US militarism.