Mark Armbruster
Gain-of-Function

Artist Statement

My previous landscape photography work doesn’t effectively communicate my concerns about climate change and the effects it is having on the beautiful and almost pristine scenes I captured. I needed to dosomething different to bring my concerns to life in a way that better illustrated the changes I was seeing innature and reading about.

This series of 2D and 3D multimedia artworks is titled Gain-of -Function. The title refers to the scientific research method that genetically alters an organism in a way that may enhance the bio logical functions of gene products. This exact research method was used to create our current line of vaccines for Covid-19.Similar to the biohazards inherent in this type of research, over the past 150 years of modern industrialization, we humans have altered our planet in ways that enhance certain biological functions,that unfortunately have had adverse affects to all species that inhabit it.

I am using non-traditional landscape imagery as a backdrop for painted graphs and charts that arerepresentations of data from studies on climate change and its numerous effects on our environ- ments.

The pictured landscapes are recognizable, but also taken from a vantage point that shows larger structures of globalized commerce, energy resources and industrialization at play in our own backyards. The photographic imagery shows scenes of wild grasslands, sea scapes, burnt desert forests, receding reservoirs, communities on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay and the dense urban infrastructure of Baltimore city. Visual data depicted by dots, lines and patterns allow this imagery to show through and blend with the painted colors and textures. The graphs illustrate data from climate studies that are relevant to those environments and speak to phenomenon like global sea level rise, greenhouse gas emissions, temperature extremes, drought, wild fires, ground water loss, and much more.

The artwork titles are derived from quotes of climate change denials by politicians and leaders from the past decade. In an attempt to shed additional light on their inability to help care for our environment and alter its current course. They refer to the specific studies or climate issue represented in the images, while also selected for their satirical tone and sometimes tragic and idiotic brutality.

Mark Armbruster

Event Dates

Exhibition:
September 23 – October 18, 2025

In-Person Open House/Reception
September 25, 2025, 7-9pm ET

1544 Piedmont Ave NE, #107, Atlanta, GA 30324
Located between LA Fitness and CVS Pharmacy