Ficus Interfaith: The Study

A study becomes a living ecosystem of ideas where extinct birds, invasive species and material curiosities coexist in thoughtful conversation. Ficus Interfaith: The Study, on view through May 17 at Nina Johnson gallery in Little Haiti, transforms gallery spaces into a contemplative environment that distinguishes itself from both office and library—focusing instead on learning, reflection and imagination.

This exhibition showcases the collaborative practice of Raphael Martinez Cohen and Ryan Bush, who work together as Ficus Interfaith. Their artistic process involves ongoing exchanges, compromises and hybrid solutions that manifest in multidimensional installations across several connected rooms.

Visitors first encounter a terrazzo bench facing an image of a Bachman's Warbler (a migratory songbird presumed extinct), complete with a taxonomic brass plaque. The main space features two terrazzo tables displaying touchable yet unopenable books with artist-created titles, while walls display a gridded arrangement of materials—from crushed pearls to broken glass—that comprise their distinctive terrazzo works.

The exhibition concludes with interconnected tableaus including a sunflower painting made from exhibition materials, a dysfunctional filing cabinet labeled with categories like "Ideas, Floors, Tables, Misc, Recipes," and "Classroom Ossuary"—a repurposed laptop charging cabinet containing carefully arranged natural specimens from wishbones to a fossilized dinosaur bone.

Through these thoughtfully arranged spaces and objects, Ficus Interfaith explores how categorization both succeeds and fails in telling stories through material histories, reminding viewers that rocks themselves have long served as natural storytellers. The installation can be viewed in Nina Johnson's Upstairs Gallery as part of the gallery's spring exhibition program.