Entwined grew out of my preoccupation with how nature reasserts itself in abandoned, vacant places. I’m drawn to the way that vines spiral into emptiness, how they fill voids left behind, their tendrils reaching without logic or order. In that compulsive growth, I see both nature’s persistence and our own human instincts to keep pressing forward through pain, loss, and change—a reminder that no matter what happens, life always finds a way to prevail.
For this exhibition, I wanted to create an environment that channels the same energy. The Museum of Arts and Design, which is located across the street from Central Park, felt like the perfect place to imagine nature beginning its slow, unrelenting takeover. I envisioned it making its way into the building, winding itself through the modern architecture, gripping unclaimed surfaces, and clambering in and out of the structural cables surrounding the staircase. That path upward ultimately leads to the larger scale Entwined in the main gallery.
I wanted to allow the process of creating this work to unfold organically. To bring it to life, I used wool, exotic fibers, and metal, hand-molding the sculptures through looping, twisting, knotting, and custom felting processes. The resulting structures, tendrils, and entanglements create a suspended, almost living network of interconnected twining textural forms. I’m particularly intrigued by the beauty that can emerge when you release your hold and let something unexpected take shape, just as it would spontaneously in nature. At its core, Entwined is an exploration of nature’s resilience—and ours.
Entwined is on view in “Dana Barnes: Untamed Gestures” at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York through October 11, 2026.
