Biophilia, a Natural Attraction

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Biophilia, a Natural Attraction. The collaboration between David Hopkins and Sava Larry offers an opportunity to see something inevitable in the human condition. Extremely contradictory and yet irresistible. Biophilia refers to a term that believes human beings are born with an innate empathy and attraction to other life forms. Nature. This is perhaps a very logical statement for most of us to hear. However in saying that, we know that not everyone will feel the same way. Perhaps we know someone who finds natural surroundings unappealing or at best boring. But for the most part, many of us have an innate connection whether we are aware of it or not other life forces.

Human Contradiction

The contradiction is that as a species, most of the output we generate in the world, in acts of creation, construct things that remove us away further from the natural elements. We construct homes and buildings that separate us from Nature. We build our system of survival to minimise the evidence that we are life-dependent on Nature.

Biophilia a Definition

Biophilia, a Natural Attraction. The word biophilia originates from the Greek, ‘philia’ meaning ‘love of’. It literally means a love of life or living things. Humans have a deeply engrained love of nature which is an intuitive and natural drive imprinted into our DNA. Refer Definition.

The Power of Affinity

Rather than thinking of leaves and flowers, it is intriguing to notice the simple power of ‘affinity’. A predisposition to find a connection. A natural liking and attraction toward something or someone. Which is a gift given to us at birth, toward ‘Nature’. Nature is our first and inherited affinity. A consciousness. Two opposites can have a natural attraction and find familiarity with each other. When there is this natural connection, despite seemingly vast differences, it is a natural conclusion that harmony is already there.

The work is a set of 160×140 cm mixed media paintings combining the sharpness and the accuracy of digital objects with overlays of spray painting and brushwork which the artists expressed to be a very interesting and fun process. The collaboration between digital collage artist David Hopkins who is based in Marbella Spain and street artist Sava Larry spanned several months and a great deal of distance.

Sava ‘Istanbul’ Larry

Sava Larry brings into the collaboration a raw untethered expressiveness of street art. Digital artist David Hopkins creates complex layers of vibrant compositional precision in his collages. Their creative process is very different and their visual styles are at odds. Despite that, there was a natural affinity from one to the other that was able to overcome differences in process and find a unique way to visually speak together.

David Hopkins

David’s digital collages are visually and conceptually diverse. Witty and bold, each one a visual puzzle that goes hand in hand with an invisible dialogue. Asking questions, prodding us at things that are on the outskirts of our minds. Symbolism throughout art history is a big portion of what we study in our appreciation of art. David Hopkins’s digital collages are a maze and carnival of symbolism. From the innocent to the risqué, from the fantastical to the most urbane. Quite often juxtaposing these contrasts together.

A Natural Process

The message from this collaboration is centred on the term Biophilia. In terms of their process, it reflects the natural predisposition we have to make connections. Even from opposing ends of the spectrum. If we are in tune with this natural predisposition of connecting to other life forms (which includes other human beings as well) we are exercising our birth-given natural disposition to find connections and make bonds.

And yet, it would not be remiss to note that we have an equally strong tendency to disregard our instincts and natural affinities. Breaking those bonds, substituting the real inherent love we have and replacing it with inferior substitutes. Regardless of whether we acknowledge our innate attraction to Nature, Something the creative process allows for is the cultivation of this very innate instinct. We naturally seek harmony, balance and synchronicity. In this case, the innate attraction between the visual styles of each artist was able to make room for each other. starting from a point of natural affinity, a creative attraction, the rest of the process happens as a natural process as much as it is allowed to.

A Natural Attraction that Keeps on Growing

Agus Kama Loedin, another artist in Culmination Visual Art Exhibition also shares his reflections on Biophilia and his thoughts on this unique collaboration.

“What is interesting between these two artists, despite their very obvious differences is something that exists between them, harmony. There is an indescribable sense of familiarity in their use of colour that perhaps facilitates a very natural connection. The boldness in which they both use colour. There is a chemistry there that perhaps is what we refer to here as natural affinity. An unexplainable attraction to something unknown but seems familiar.” _{~Agus Kama Loedin}

“Their two works in Culmination, have another similarity. They both employ a strong symbolic language in their respective styles. Their humour connects well together. Perhaps Sava through words and David more visually, yet there is a feeling of symbiosis. David is such an open and highly witty individual. Sava is also very sharp in his sense of humour but a lot more introverted. Both are very modest and down to earth. It was a real pleasure to have this opportunity to work together during this exhibition of Culmination.” _{~Agus Kama Loedin}

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