

Where do we find connection in diaspora? I turn to the plant world as allies —an interconnected thread weaving through borders, climates, and cultures. Our relationship with plants is not merely ornamental; it is fundamental, biological, and spiritual. We exist in continuous exchange with nature, inhaling what plants exhale, shaping them through our gaze while being shaped in return. What can we learn from this? I search to explore these interconnections, to question how nature is perceived, fragmented, and transformed through human experience.
In nature, I find reflections of my own form—imperfect, rough, resilient. Through my practice, I visualize botanical fragments that fuse into new ecosystems—small details magnified, new worlds brought to life through digital and physical processes. A petal is personified into a sentient being, a leaf becomes an extraterrestrial landscape. Reflecting on themes of duality of cultures, impermanence, and regeneration.
How can these investigations bring us closer—both to one another and to ourselves? In turning to plants, I turn toward understanding—toward connection, resistance, and renewal. Plants are not passive objects but active participants in our shared existence, with rhythms, memories, and energies that shape our experience. These plant allies guide us in a world that is constantly shifting, offering opportunities for community building, reimagining our bodies, and redefining how we belong—reconnecting with cultural traditions and finding strength through collective hardships.
Bio
Maria Fernanda Munar is a Canadian/Colombian visual artist based in Calgary, Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts from the Alberta University of the Arts (2017). Her work has been exhibited at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Gibson Fine Arts, Arts Commons, and Contemporary Calgary, among others. She has pieces in the permanent collection of the Calgary BMO Centre and has received a Visual Arts and New Media Individual Project grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Munar has participated in artist residencies at Arts Commons, Alberta University of the Arts, and internationally in Latvia and Colombia. In addition to her art practice, she has worked as an Associate Motion Director for the past six years, integrating her expertise in media arts with her creative process.
Contact
Email: munarproductions@gmail.com
Instagram: mariasartgarden
