Animal, Vegetable, nor Mineral: Works by Miljohn Ruperto

Animal, Vegetable, nor Mineral is the first large-scale solo museum exhibition of Manila-born, Los Angeles-based artist Miljohn Ruperto (b. 1971). Working across photography, video, animation, generative artificial intelligence, and other mediums, Ruperto explores the ways humans have understood their place in the world. From digitally-created fantastical botanical specimens printed as gelatin silver photographs to immersive apocalyptic landscapes experienced in VR, Ruperto’s artworks highlight the elusiveness of knowledge and unsettle what we think we know about nature.

Often working collaboratively with other artists, scholars, scientists, and technologists, Ruperto champions interdependence and cooperation—not isolated genius—as vital and innate to creativity and scholarship. The resulting artworks challenge traditional modes of classifying and representing the natural world and inspire new ways of relating to each other and the world around us.

This exhibition is presented in conjunction with the museum’s Asian American Art Initiative (AAAI). It is accompanied by a publication featuring short essays by Ruperto, providing expanded context for the artist’s collaborative practice, and an essay by exhibition curator Maggie Dethloff elucidating the conceptual underpinnings of the artist’s wide-ranging artistic output.

Animal, Vegetable, nor Mineral: Works by Miljohn Ruperto is organized by the Cantor Arts Center and curated by Maggie Dethloff, Assistant Curator of Photography and New Media.

We gratefully acknowledge generous support for Animal, Vegetable, nor Mineral: Works by Miljohn Ruperto provided by Sue and John Diekman, with additional support provided by Amy Corton and Carl Eibl, and Genie Dethloff. Sustained support generously provided by Megan O'Reilly Lewis and Todd Lewis, The Darle and Patrick Maveety Fund for Asian Art, The Constance Corcoran Miller Fund for Academic Initiatives, The Khoan and Michael Sullivan Fund, and The Phyllis Wattis Program Fund.