About the Exhibition:
In Opium Whispers, Delfina Braun delves into the profound connections between healing and pain, nature, and the human psyche. From an early age, Braun has been captivated by the hidden powers and healing properties of herbs, flowers, mushrooms, and plants. This curiosity laid the foundation for her work, which is dedicated to capturing the beauty and mystery of the natural world. For this exhibition, the artist considers the Opium Poppy, a plant that has eased human su ering for millennia, as a metaphorical witness to both humanity’s pain and collective numbness.
Influenced by Jean Cocteau’s writings in Opium: The Diary of a Cure, where he reflects on opium as both a curative and destructive force, herein Braun foregrounds the plant’s beauty and immense power.
As part of the artist’s series of drawings of various plant species, fungi, and flowers that recall scientific illustrations through their botanical precision, Opium Whispers features a suite of new black-and-white drawings that depict different stages of opium’s metamorphosis.
Rendered together in a hypnotic, even psychedelic blend, in these works, opium becomes “eros:” animated with vitality and a life force.
At times intermingled with other flora as if in intimate dialogue, Braun’s drawings reveal sensuous and mesmerizing plants, producing an enchanting feeling that allows the viewer to complete their own metaphorical associations. This exhibition marks a significant development in the artist’s practice as it includes her first - ever sculptures, from which the show takes its title.
Displayed as an installation in the center of the room, a group of sculptures cast in bronze, each rendering distinct stages of the opium plant, tower with the actual height of an opium field. These works emit music inspired by the natural frequencies of the flowers—sounds that are typically imperceptible to the human ear, yet possibly accessible under the influence of psychedelics. Through these sound sculptures, created in collaboration with composer Edo Costantini and architect Delfina Muniz Barreto, Braun aims to tune us back in with the frequency, language, and intelligence of plants—concepts long forgotten in modern and contemporary Western culture.
While the included works present a romantic rendition of the plant and opioid use, Opium Whispers aims to uncover the whispering secrets of the natural world, initiating a subtle conversation with the ancient wisdom embedded in nature and inviting us to restore our lost connection with it.
– Manuela Hansen
Fern Hill Field Trip with Delfina Braun to view her current exhibition Opium Whispers at Praxis Gallery
Join Fern Hill Project for special Field Trip to NYC with local artist Delfina Braun to view her exhibition Opium Whispers at Praxis Gallery on Wednesday, November 6th.
Plan to meet at the gallery located at 501 West 20th Street at 11:30am or take the train with other Fern Hill members from the Katonah station at 9:30am.
Delfina will walk us through her exhibition followed by an informal lunch (at your own expense) at nearby Cookshop restaurant.
Delfina's exhibition closes November 8th so don't miss this special opportunity!
This event is free but please RSVP below.
About the Artist:
Delfina Braun is an artist who lives and works in New York. Her artwork is a profound exploration of the intersection between nature, healing, and the human psyche. With a background in Psychology and deeply captivated by the scope of health and restoration, Braun’s creative practice delves into the intrinsic healing power of the natural world, portraying enchanting medicinal plants, flowers, fungi, and herbs. In September 2024, she will open "Opium Whispers," her second solo exhibition at Praxis Gallery, New York, where she will feature a series of charcoal drawings, bronzes, and a sound-sculpture installation produced in collaboration with Edo Costantini and Delfina Muniz Barreto. A similar work will be exhibited as a part of Jean Cocteau’s major retrospective in Brazil at MAC Niteroi. In 2022, she held her first solo show, "Herbarium: A Botanical Journey," at Praxis Gallery. That same year, she illustrated the book “The Oracle of the Hero 's Journey”, by Graciela Caprarulo for the publishing house “El Hilo de Ariadna”. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and art fairs in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Copenhagen, Miami, New York, and Mexico, and has been acquired by several international collectors