8th Annual AnkhLave Garden Project Fellowship Exhibition Queens Botanical Garden | 2026 Curatorial Statement by Darlene Deloris, Lead Curator With Curatorial Fellow Megan Elevado

Storytelling is among humanity’s oldest forms of cultural preservation, connecting generations through shared knowledge, ancestral memory, and collective experience. Across civilizations, artists and storytellers have served as custodians of history, translating traditions and lived experiences into forms that transcend language and time.
The Art of Storytelling brings together six New York City artists whose site-specific installations explore cultural identity, ecological awareness, memory, and collective wisdom. Drawing inspiration from the African tradition of griots and storytelling practices across cultures, the exhibition considers artists and curators as contemporary narrators entrusted with preserving histories and inspiring dialogue.

Featuring Haksul Lee, Marco DaSilva, Elisa Soliven, Naya Lee Chang, Cecile Chong, and Dara Ojugbele, the exhibition transforms Queens Botanical Garden into a living narrative where art, nature, and human experience converge. Through interactive sound, cultural iconography, mathematical patterns, forgotten waterways, ancestral traditions, and contemplative sculpture, each artist invites audiences to encounter stories that might otherwise remain unheard. The Garden becomes both a setting and an active participant in these narratives, revealing connections between the natural environment and the histories shaping our understanding of the world.

Ultimately, The Art of Storytelling celebrates artistic expression as an instrument of preservation, connection, and transformation, reminding us that every artwork carries a history and every encounter offers an opportunity to listen.
On View: Through December 6, 2026