I believe my survival depends on paying close attention to nature and my surroundings. I tend to avoid AI and limit technology... I keep my intuition at the forefront and prefer to interact and to be inspired by nature's intricate and authentic expression.

(Mayme Kratz)

NI: Natural intelligence, Lisa Sette Gallery’s first show of 2026, considers nature as a timeless creative source, endlessly generating mysterious and infinite meanings. This is in stark contrast to the closed digital systems of AI–while the purported “intelligence” of large data sets is circumscribed by the limits of human experience and technical capacity, nature’s systems are universal and exist primarily outside of human comprehension. In fascinating forms and unexpected materials, the artists of NI: Natural Intelligence offer us poignant and intriguing pathways into the enigmatic domains of nature and the ever-expanding cosmos.

Lisa Sette observes “In contrast to AI, nature is intelligent far beyond human speculation. These artists focus on the inherent beauty and intelligence of the natural world as a solace in our fraught world of plastic and screens.” Featuring works by, Kim Cridler, Ala Ebtekar, Carlos Estévez, Máximo González, Timothy Horn, Alan Bur Johnson, Michael Koerner, Mayme Kratz, David Kroll, Marie Navarre, Beverly Penn, ScanLAB, Benjamin Timpson and Frances Whitehead, NI: Natural intelligence opens with a public reception on Saturday, January 10 and continues through February 28, 2026.

Through this exhibition, Lisa Sette Gallery invites viewers to reflect on the profound wisdom embedded within organic systems and the delicate balance that sustains all forms of life. NI: Natural intelligence encourages a renewed sensitivity toward the natural world, proposing that observation, empathy, and respect for nature’s quiet complexity may offer a deeper and more enduring understanding of intelligence than any algorithm could provide.