Through painting, photography, film, and installation, two multidisciplinary artists create a powerful conversation about environmental responsibility, social perception, and the fragile world we all share.

Some booths at an art fair showcase individual works.

Others create an entire ecosystem of ideas.

At Booth F6 during Spring/Break Art Show NYC, artists Christl Stringer and Adam Hersko-RonaTas transformed their space into a layered dialogue about environmental awareness, cultural identity, perception, and the ways human beings relate to both each other and the planet.

Titled Pale Blue Thought, the installation takes inspiration from astronomer Carl Sagan’s famous reflection on Earth as a tiny blue dot suspended in the vastness of space. The project asks visitors to consider not only humanity’s relationship with the planet, but also how environmental degradation, social division, and cultural narratives shape our collective psychological well-being.

The result is a presentation that feels simultaneously intimate and global.

Photography, painting, video, ceramics, and installation converge into a cohesive exploration of contemporary life.

One of the first works visitors encounter is a striking photograph by Adam Hersko-RonaTas.

Captured in northern New Mexico near the Colorado border, the image depicts a billboard standing against a vast desert landscape. Under normal circumstances, Hersko-RonaTas admits he has little affection for billboards. To him, they often represent consumerism, visual pollution, and interruptions within natural environments.

This one was different.

Rather than selling a product, the billboard spoke on behalf of the Earth itself.

Set against expansive mountains and open sky, the image became a quiet but powerful statement about environmental stewardship. Importantly, the photograph is entirely unaltered. No digital manipulation was used. The billboard existed exactly as seen, making the image feel even more remarkable.

For Hersko-RonaTas, who has long been involved with environmental causes, the encounter felt both unexpected and hopeful.

His practice often emerges from moments like these.

While traveling, frequently by van, he keeps a camera close at hand. Rather than pursuing predetermined images, he prefers remaining open to chance encounters. A compelling landscape, an unusual object, or a fleeting visual relationship can suddenly become the foundation for a photograph.

The emphasis is on presence rather than pursuit.

Forcing an image, he suggests, often prevents one from seeing what is already there.

That same spirit of observation extends into his video work.

One video presented in the booth features a fictional interview with a fig tree. The artist engages in a conversation with a tree that once grew in the backyard of a former home, imagining its perspective on existence and what it means to inhabit the world as a living organism.

The piece is both humorous and philosophical.

Another video adopts a completely different tone, presenting a satirical news report following a stream of rubber ducks released into a river ecosystem. As artificial ducks drift alongside real wildlife, the work playfully examines media narratives, environmental absurdity, and humanity’s tendency to create spectacles from even the most ordinary events.

Together, the videos demonstrate Hersko-RonaTas’s ability to balance environmental concerns with humor and imagination.

Across the booth, Christl Stringer’s paintings introduce another layer to the conversation.

Her work tackles issues of social perception, identity, race, privilege, and information overload, often through carefully constructed symbolism and unexpected visual metaphors.

One standout painting, Coastal Elite, emerged from reflections on political discourse and cultural divisions in the United States.

Inspired by conversations surrounding the idea of coastal bubbles—communities perceived as disconnected from other lived realities—the work features a betta fish staring into a mirror and seeing a red betta fish reflected back. Lobsters appear throughout the composition, functioning as symbols of luxury despite their humble origins.

The painting examines how people perceive one another across social, political, and geographic boundaries while questioning assumptions made on all sides.

Another work, Well Read, addresses the modern experience of information saturation.

The painting explores what happens when a person becomes highly informed yet feels powerless to influence the systems around them. Knowledge accumulates, but meaningful change often feels increasingly distant.

The result is a portrait of contemporary frustration.

Stringer’s painting You’re So Well Spoken addresses another form of social tension.

Drawing from personal experiences as a Black woman, the work examines the subtle racism embedded within seemingly complimentary remarks. The phrase itself often functions as a backhanded compliment, revealing assumptions about intelligence, education, and identity.

Through visual symbolism and sharp conceptual framing, the painting transforms a familiar phrase into a broader commentary on prejudice and perception.

Throughout her work, Stringer demonstrates an ability to approach serious subjects with wit, visual sophistication, and emotional complexity.

One particularly striking piece incorporates hair collected from her sister.

The work examines presentation, identity, beauty, and social perception while introducing the color green as a symbol carrying dual meanings. Green can signify wealth and prosperity, but also envy and desire. Stringer embraces those contradictions, allowing viewers to consider how these associations overlap and influence one another.

The installation is further enriched by ceramic works from artist Carnazelle, whose body-formed sculptures add another dimension to the exhibition’s exploration of identity, materiality, and physical presence.

Despite the diversity of media, the booth never feels fragmented.

Instead, every element contributes to a larger conversation about how human beings understand themselves, their communities, and their relationship with the world around them.

What makes Pale Blue Thought particularly compelling is its refusal to separate environmental issues from social ones.

The artists recognize that conversations about climate, culture, race, memory, and belonging are deeply interconnected. The health of a society and the health of a planet are not isolated concerns. Both require attention, empathy, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

Looking ahead, both artists continue to expand their multidisciplinary practices.

Hersko-RonaTas is currently focused on filmmaking, with a new project entering production in the coming weeks. Stringer is preparing for a film premiere at the Roxbury International Film Festival in Boston and developing additional film projects exploring identity, psychology, and human behavior through narrative storytelling.

Their presence at Spring/Break Art Show demonstrates the growing fluidity between disciplines in contemporary art.

Photography becomes film.

Painting becomes social commentary.

Installation becomes environmental advocacy.

Together, these artists remind us that creativity is often most powerful when it crosses boundaries and invites audiences to see familiar issues from unexpected perspectives.

About Tarik Talk Podcast

Tarik Talk Podcast is an international arts and culture podcast hosted by Tarik Mendes, featuring conversations with artists, curators, designers, cultural leaders, and creative entrepreneurs from around the world. With more than 200 episodes across 50 seasons and interviews recorded in over 10 countries, the podcast explores the stories, inspirations, and ideas shaping contemporary culture.