Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo

All separation from nature is mythological, a construct. We as “humans” can pretend, and delude ourselves that we are other than nature, but nature will always teach us otherwise. - Nicolás Estévez

Nicolás Estévez has been working with CALL on a series of projects that focus on nurturing an intimate relationship with other beings in the natural ecosystem. In both public walks, and self-guided meditations, Estévez has helped us to understand the interconnectedness of all beings. In 2019, Estévez led an experiential walk through Van Cortlandt Park, during which participants sought a deeper relationship with trees through a series of guided exercises. Estévez is currently developing a larger workshop and curriculum, “Growing a Green Heart,” which CALL plans to produce in Spring 2021.

Estévez has exhibited and performed at Madrid Abierto/ARCO, The IX Havana Biennial, PERFORMA 05/07, IDENSITAT, Prague Quadrennial, Pontevedra Biennial, Queens Museum, MoMA, among others. His residencies include P.S. 1/MoMA, Yaddo, Wave Hill, and MacDowell Colony. He has curated exhibitions and programs for El Museo del Barrio, the Institute for Art, Religion and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary, Art in Odd Places, Cuchifritos, Longwood Art Gallery/Bronx Council on the Arts, New York; and the Filmoteca de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain.

CALL/WALK: The Tree and I — 2019

Estévez’s ability to make art out of cities and other spaces, and to do so somewhat outside of the art world, is what led him to develop “The Tree and I” for CALL/WALKS. A collaboration with Van Cortlandt Park Alliance ecological project manager John Butler, “The Tree and I” involved Estévez and Butler taking participants on a walking tour in Van Cortlandt Park, where they participated in an immersive, experiential tour of trees and Tibbetts Brook. It was there the two guided participants in creating a more intimate relationship with trees and water. Estévez’s WALK, designed to explore nature as part of CALL’s larger campaign to support the daylighting of Tibbetts Brook (a long buried Bronx stream), was another opportunity to explore the topic with a participatory audience. He and CALL are also making two downloadable versions of “The Tree and I” available — one for use as a self-guided walk at Van Cortlandt Park, the other to be used at any location with trees and water. (CALL is a member of the Coalition for Daylighting Tibbetts Brook, led by the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality.)