From gardens to human connections: fine arts alumna Khadija Baker is featured at a Canadian Museum of Nature exhibition
Khadija Baker, BFA 07, MFA 13, PhD 24, is among 13 Canadian artists featured in Rewilding – the David Suzuki Foundation Arts Prize, a new exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.
The exhibition showcases works by the inaugural winners of the Rewilding Arts Prize, a national award recognizing artists whose practices engage with environmental themes and ecological restoration.
Sowing the seeds of interdependence
Baker is a Syrian-Kurdish multidisciplinary artist based in Quebec who creates socially engaged art exploring themes of memory, displacement and belonging.
Her contribution to Rewilding is “Performing Community Garden,” a video work documenting a live performance in which she invites community members to adopt plants named after strangers. The piece aims to encourage social connections while emphasizing the interdependence of humans and nature.
"When our family moved into our house in 2018, we wanted to create a garden as a way to connect with people. The garden became a meeting point,” Baker explains.
“As we planted, we were surprised by what grew. We started learning about native plants, pollinators and the relationships within ecosystems. It felt like these plants were like people — each thriving in different conditions."
Baker says naming each plant after a stranger is meant to encourage reflection on the relationship between care and memory.
"There’s power in naming," she says. "Traditionally, people have named plants after loved ones, but what happens when a plant carries the name of a stranger? The act of caring for the plant keeps that name and memory alive. It fosters connection, reminding us that coexistence is essential."
A creative environment
Rewilding unites artists working across diverse media, including textiles, video, photography, digital collage and natural elements. Juried by a panel of established Canadian artists, the exhibition also aims to highlight innovative approaches to ecological engagement through art.
Baker credits her time at Concordia and her involvement with the SenseLab for shaping her artistic perspective. "The philosophical discussions and critical thinking at SenseLab nourished my ideas and creative process," she says. "The lab helped me articulate what I was already feeling and making."
As climate change and biodiversity loss become increasingly urgent, Baker sees art as a powerful tool for inviting dialogue and reimagining our relationship with the environment.
"Art allows us to see differently," she says. "It creates spaces where new connections and understandings can emerge."
Rewilding – the David Suzuki Foundation Arts Prize is on view at the Canadian Museum of Nature until September 8, 2025.
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