Rooted
Rooted (Diptych - Aleppo Pine and Olive Tree), 2025; 44x30” each print, Screenprint with botanical dye.
Rooted
These prints are portraits of contested landscape. The Aleppo pine, rendered with pigments from its needles and cones, reflects large-scale afforestation in Canaan’s dry regions disrupting ecosystems and obscuring historical traces. The olive tree, made from olives and olive oil, speak for Palestinian resilience. Exposed to light, these organic materials fade, mirroring the land’s shifting histories.
Planting Aleppo pines in the dry regions of Canaan raises significant questions about both nature and history. While these trees are native to the Mediterranean landscape, large-scale afforestation has altered local ecosystems by replacing native plants and reshaping the environment. In a region where water is scarce, the choice to plant trees that require more water is puzzling. Even further, these forests often obscure historical traces, blurring the line between afforestation and erasure.
The physical differences between the Aleppo pine and the olive tree are striking, offering a tangible comparison between two symbols deeply tied to both Israel and Palestine. The images presented serve as portraits of the landscape, each created using organic and transient materials. The colors seen in the Aleppo pine on the left are pigments extracted from pine needles and cones, while the olive tree on the right is rendered with pigments from fresh olives and olive oil. Once exposed to light, these materials will fade and transform, leaving behind only traces of what once was, much like the shifting histories embedded in the land these trees inhabit.
PROCESS and EXHIBITION PHOTOS
URGENT HUMANITARIAN AID:
Rooted; 7x5” (Edition 100 for fundraising)
Rooted: Limited Edition Diptych for Palestine
Support urgent Palestinian humanitarian aid with a unique diptych of screenprints made with pigments from the Aleppo Pine and Olive Tree, symbols of resilience and memory.
Email me with an image of your receipt with a minimum donation of $35 to one of organizations below plus shipping and handling fees to receive your print.
Third Street Gallery
Special project space in Pomona, CA
Artists:
Jennifer Chen and Tava Tedesco are two artists who have collaborated together through various projects over the last 3 years. Throughlines in their works have led them to grow conceptual projects in the form of installations, shows, portfolio exchanges and workshops. Their dual practices have overlapped in areas of interest such as; poetics of material exploration, environmental concern, geographical research and historical references.
Jennifer Chen is an artist and educator specializing in printmaking and drawing. Her work delves into the intersection of art and ecology, examining cultural history through the lens of ornamental flora and urban arboreal environments. www.jenniferchenstudio.com
Tava Tedesco is an artist living in Los Angeles, California. Her work centers around the use of printmaking, fabrication, photography and drawing, as means to serve as visual hosts for research of environments, land use, and shifting perspectives. www.tavatedesco.com