Semillas is an exhibit that presents the work of artist Emily C-D, developed as part of a long-term project motivated by her passion for seeds and her active participation in Somos Semilla, a community-based seed library in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. For the exhibition she created 16 watercolors that portray a selection of diverse seeds, allowing a visual insight into the varieties we encounter in our daily lives. Through an artistic lens, a space is opened in order to observe what often goes unnoticed: the beauty, uniqueness, and complexity contained in small things.
To enrich this experience, a botanical display is presented featuring specimens from Casa Gallina's herbal plant collection, collected in Santa Maria la Ribera by biologists Lourdez Cruz Terán and Iván Pérez Samayoa in 2017. A collection of physical seeds is also on display, inviting a sensorial approach, complemented by descriptive sheets detailing their morphological and taxonomic characteristics. A series of infographics based on the research of Dr. Isela Rodriguez Arévalo, director of the FES Iztacala-UNAM Seed Bank, offers an educational introduction to the current challenges surrounding seed conservation and its role in food sovereignty.
This exhibition proposes a dialogue between art, science, and activism. It invites us to reflect on the essential role of seeds in the life of the planet and the urgency of preserving their diversity in a context where monocultures, hybrid seeds, and corporate interests threaten traditional agricultural systems and the right of communities to make their own decisions about their nourishment.
Semillas was produced by Casa Gallina, curated by Josefa Ortega and on view at The Geology Museum of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City from July 29 - October 26, 2025.
Exhibition photographs by Luis Gómez Arizmendi courtesy of Casa Gallina.
The artwork from the Semillas exhibit illustrates an accompanying publication by the same name. This book weaves together reflections, stories, and diverse voices around the symbolic, ecological, and community value of seeds. From personal experiences to collective perspectives, it explores how these small elements carry memories of the past, possibilities of the present, and promises for the future. Present in everyday practices and territorial struggles, seeds emerge here as allies in building conscious relationships with the land and among those who inhabit it.
Through essays, interviews, and poetic pieces, this publication gathers the testimonies of activists, educators, environmental promoters, and people of various ages, whose experiences show how seeds teach patience, resilience, and care. Their ability to adapt and transform resonates with today's eco-social challenges and invites us to rethink our relationship with the environment through what is small, everyday, and collective.
The book includes an educational section with proposals for facilitators, teachers, and individuals interested in play, observation, and environmental awareness. It also offers practical tools to strengthen the bond between communities and nature through a pedagogy of wonder and care.
Illustration: Emily C-D
Editorial coordination: Josefa Ortega and Rodrigo Simancas
Design: Gabriela Cruz
Printing: Uroboros Editorial (Risograph)
Book photographs by Margarita Nikolayévna courtesy of Uroboros Editorial.
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