Second Nature: Works from the Tropics

Natural materials take center stage in a new solo exhibition exploring the boundaries between preservation and transformation. Opening Thursday, May 1, Second Nature: Works from the Tropics by Victoria Pesce Elliott will be on view at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, featuring a collection of sculpture, collage, paintings and lighting pieces.

Each work is crafted from organic materials gathered from the artist’s surroundings in Miami and Jamaica—flowers, seeds, leaves, pods and other elements shaped by time and climate. Many are tinted using plant-based pigments made from items like tea, beans and onions, reflecting a deliberate engagement with the cycles of decay and renewal.

Pesce Elliott’s approach invites viewers to consider the extent to which nature can—or should—be preserved. Her pieces often blend real, dried flowers with artificial ones and several include lighting or reflective surfaces that emphasize the tension between the natural and the constructed. By illuminating the once-living materials from within, she suggests a quiet attempt to hold onto their former vitality.

Admission to the opening is free with RSVP. The exhibition will remain on view through July 31, 2025.