Portland Artist Explores Ecosystem Degradation in New Art Installation

Alone and Counting exhibition at Imperfecta Gallery runs February 5-28, 2026.

Feb. 5, 2026 at 8:07pm

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The Imperfecta Gallery in Portland, Oregon is hosting an art installation by local artist Jennifer Gillia Cutshall titled "Alone and Counting" that critically examines the rapid degradation of personal, social, and natural ecosystems due to the pursuit of convenience and technology. The exhibition runs from February 5-28, 2026 and features sculptural works made from gathered and altered objects that depict bleak, increasingly burnt realities.

Why it matters

Cutshall's work aims to raise awareness about how the same technologies designed to connect people are actually dividing them and degrading entire ecosystems. The exhibition offers a unique perspective on the precarious dependence people have developed on technology and convenience at the expense of human connection and the natural world.

The details

In Alone and Counting, Cutshall's sculptural pieces narrate this perilous story through gathered and altered objects and materials. A lone bride stands among a cemetery of stumps, or "ghosts of the flame-tree skeletons," that hang in the balance, symbolizing the fragility of social and natural systems. The exhibition opens with a reception on February 5 from 5-8 pm, and the artist will also give a talk on February 14 at 11:30 am.

  • The Alone and Counting exhibition runs from February 5-28, 2026.
  • The opening reception is on February 5 from 5-8 pm.
  • The artist talk is on February 14 at 11:30 am.

The players

Jennifer Gillia Cutshall

A Portland-based artist and curator whose work is collected worldwide. She has designed and painted over 200 murals and public art projects, and has curated 153 international exhibitions to date.

Imperfecta Gallery

An art gallery in Portland, Oregon that is hosting the Alone and Counting exhibition.

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The takeaway

Cutshall's Alone and Counting exhibition at the Imperfecta Gallery serves as a powerful commentary on the degradation of personal, social, and natural ecosystems caused by the pursuit of convenience and technology, urging viewers to reconsider their relationship with the natural world and human connections.