When a dream becomes a distant memory, how do we make sure it lives on? Carrying visions across time, artists capture the worldviews of one generation and pass it on the next. To help build a more sustainable future, we can look to artists as a guiding force.
At Green 2.0, we envision an environmental movement where all communities have the tools and resources to thrive and take the lead. This movement exists across borders and disciplines, including those working at the intersection of sustainability and art. Through this creative project, we are broadening our traditional view of the environmental field and seeking to inspire anyone within it.
In January, we asked artists to submit pieces on the theme of ‘Breathing Life into Dormant Seeds’. In nature, some dormant seeds only emerge when the conditions are right for their survival. Over years, over decades, they wait. We invited artists to represent revived dreams and renewed hope through any art form of their choosing. After reviewing several submissions, we selected two artists and a runner-up. Read on for an explanation of their pieces and to learn more about the artists themselves.
WINNER: “Lewoz Awakening” by Girard Loic
“Lewoz Awakening” Inspired by the theme of “Breathing Life into Dormant Seeds,” this artwork symbolizes the awakening of long-buried dreams and hopes through the pulse of culture and tradition. It represents the revival of Creole heritage, with the rhythm of the drum and the dance of the Lewoz as the metaphorical seed—patiently awaiting the right moment to flourish. The composition features vibrant scenes of Nyabinghi drummers and dancers, their movements capturing the energy of a dormant spirit coming to life. The stark black-and-white contrasts symbolize the transition from stillness to motion, from silence to sound. Just like dormant seeds that need specific conditions to grow, the artwork emphasizes the importance of patience, resilience, and the cycle of renewal. “Lewoz Awakening” serves as a visual expression of cultural rebirth and an homage to the enduring spirit of the Caribbean.
Artist Biography
Rooted in the Afro-Caribbean experience, my work explores the intersection of nature, identity, and resilience. As a landscape architect and visual artist from Guadeloupe, I draw inspiration from the untamed beauty of the tropics, the rhythms of the land, and the ancestral ties between people and nature. Through painting, illustration, and environmental design, I reimagine landscapes as living archives of memory, blending organic forms with cultural narratives. My creative process mirrors nature’s cycles—germination, growth, and renewal—resonating deeply with the theme “Breathing Life into Dormant Seeds.” By reviving forgotten histories and honoring the unseen forces shaping our world, I aim to cultivate spaces—both physical and symbolic—where the past and future intertwine, and where long-buried dreams finally take root.
WINNER: “The Skeleton as an Ecosystem” by Kateryna Repa
“The Skeleton as an Ecosystem” proposal explores the concept of the human skeleton not just as a structural framework but as a dynamic ecosystem. It connects to the broader topic of “Breathing Life into Dormant Seeds” by metaphorically likening the skeletal system to dormant seeds waiting for activation. Just as seeds need specific conditions to sprout and thrive, the skeleton interacts with various physiological processes to sustain life and adapt to changes. This perspective highlights the skeleton’s role beyond mere support, emphasizing its integral part in overall health and vitality.
Artist Biography
Kateryna Repa (1979, Odesa, Ukraine) graduated from Odesa Hydro Meteorological University. Based in Italy. Works with painting, graphics, media art, sculpture, and photography. She also participates in personal and collective exhibitions in London, Berlin, Italy, the USA, South Korea, Ukraine, etc. Her works are in private collections and museums in South Korea, Italy, and the Philippines. Works presented in galleries in South Korea, Italy, France, and Austria. She took part in the 58th Venice, Columbia, and Lithuanian Biennials, as well as the Every Woman Biennale in New York, in numerous art fairs in South Korea and Paris, and was a member of the jury of international art competitions. Received the third International Leonardo da Vinci Prize as a Universal Artist in Florence and the International Award in Paris as a Value Artist.
RUNNER-UP: “Seed of Potential – (The Seed and The Emerging Seed)” by Seema Lisa Pandya
“Seed Of Potential – (The Seed and The Emerging Seed)” Is a public art sculpture, first on view at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens during my 2023 fellowship with Ankhlave Arts Alliance. The works were included as part of the “Branching Out: Trees as Community Hosts” public art exhibit curated by AnkhLave Curator in Residence, Cecilia Andre, as part of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s “Power of Trees” program. Even as a child, I was fascinated that a single small seed held the fractal code for a giant tree to emerge. Seeded sentiments for a positive future were sourced from the community and etched into “The Seed” sculpture with all the fractal potential forms incubated inwards, then growing outwards in “The Emerging Seed” sculpture. Sustainability is a key consideration for me, so the sculptures are designed to fit like puzzle pieces to further reduce waste cutoff during fabrication. The material is Richlite, made from FSC and post-consumer recycled paper and resin making it durable and environmentally friendly material.
Artist Biography
Seema Lisa Pandya is a Brooklyn based multidisciplinary artist and accomplished sustainability consultant who explores the intersection between sustainability, art, culture, and the built environment. Embracing an eco-conscious ethos, she often uses reclaimed and recycled materials and even living plant materials, bridging gaps between the constructed world and the natural realm. Her work ranges from sculpture, public art, kinetic works, guerrilla art, wall art, woodworking, paintings, digital animations, short films, and even pollinator habitats. She is also known for tabla sculpture series with pieces made from reclaimed tabla heads rhythmically touched by musicians for a thousand hours.
Seema has exhibited works at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park Brooklyn, Governor’s Island, Mumbai, the Museum of Contemporary Art-Long Island, Pioneer Works, BRIC Arts, and more with works featured in Time Out NY, NY1 News, Pix11 News, Times of India, Vogue India, and Fine Woodworking, Hyperallergic and more. Her accolades include being a 2024 and 2025 NYSCA project grant recipient and 2023 Anklave Arts Alliance Fellow. She has participated in art residencies at the Rockefeller Pocantico Estate and Goddard College and received commissions for figures like Khizr Khan and Chelsea Clinton. Seema contributes actively to her community. She was a NYFA Immigrant Artist program mentor, an advisor on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at NYSID, was a panelist for Asian Arts Alliance’s “Art, Environment, and Justice in a Changing World”, and currently serves on the Board of the Brooklyn Raga Massive music collective. Seema is also a respected sustainability consultant and professor teaching environmental building courses at the New York School of Interior Design. Seema was also featured as a Green 2.0 Green Leader in 2014 nominated by Donna Hope.
To everyone who submitted – we were blown away by your entries. To those who are picking back up their art practice after a while or just starting out, we sincerely hope you keep going!