LORI NELSON

INVASIVE

solo exhibition

November 20th, 2025 - January 4th, 2026

Closing Reception: First Friday, January 2nd 2026

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Arch Enemy Arts presents INVASIVE by Lori Nelson, a collection of monster-humanoid youths rendered with all of the artist’s signature pop-surreal strangeness. But, for this series, Lori’s depicted some of her creepy-cute young adult subjects as symbolic demons, set before paintings of non-native plant species or, in a series of drawings, inundated with tech-talk that consumes our times. As a whole, the collection is a symbolic exploration of superficial ideologies. 

 

“I am inspired by the unpredictability of fungi, flora, and fauna. I love the forest and, embedded in nature, I see up-close the interconnectedness of everything; if something changes even slightly, a whole ecosystem can go sideways. [But] witnessing the current ire and violence in our country against those who have transplanted here, often for our own benefit, has me considering the idea of ‘invasivity.’ I’m wondering if indeed humans themselves are the ultimate invasive species. We are often so self-important.” - Lori Nelson

 

In three haunting portraits, titled and inspired by three ‘invasive’ plants found in the Northeastern United States, Lori sets the stage for her metaphor. “Knotweed,” “Barberry,” and “Thistle” capture evil wrapped in cuteness, perhaps a symbol for the particular type of fear that defines our current moment—hatred masked in good intentions. And whatever your stance on ‘introduced’ plant populations, labels like ‘invasive’ and ‘alien’ overlook the complexities, good and bad, of how organisms interact with their environment. To Lori’s point, the only true natives are the plants of the Earth that will inevitably absorb us all, as in the show’s centerpiece “Back to Nature.” (‘Aliens’ are the ones acting with impunity against their fellow human beings.) 

 

Lori Nelson (b.1968) is based in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Known for her playful monsters and hybrid creatures that capture the strange complexities of life on Earth, Nelson’s work has become a staple in New Contemporary popsurrealism. She began exhibiting with Arch Enemy Arts in 2014 and went on to be featured by such publications as Vice, Hi-Fructose, Juxtapoz, and Beautiful Bizarre. INVASIVE is the artist's second solo feature with the gallery.

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INVASIVE will be on view from November 20th, 2025 - January 4th, 2026
Sold works will begin to ship the week starting January 11th, unless other rush arrangements have been made.

Payment plan options are available on most works.

All items marked with a red dot have been sold. 

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