Kim Farbota was born in Chicago in 1988. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and a J.D. from Yale Law School. After years practicing as an environmental attorney, she buckled under the weight of climate grief. She moved to Joshua Tree, spent three years deconstructing herself, and re-emerged as a visual artist.

Her residency project investigates environmental grief and the potential for integration through the lens of embodiment, incorporating recycled materials into paintings of personified bereavement and adaptation. The project aims to help viewers process climate concerns while maintaining hope and clarity in the face of ecological collapse.

“I paint viscerally. Years in law and academia left my mind overwrought. Linear, precise, boring. I censored myself in professional contexts and edited my voice until it was indistinguishable. Authenticity gave way to performance. My art is an intentional reclamation of instinct, of self.

I work primarily in acrylic. It lends itself well to frenetic generation. Ideas cannot be limited to the next logical step, to the natural progression of a plan. My spontaneous, receptive style reflects the function of art as a compliment to the sciences and humanities, a method of intellectual exploration that can accommodate bold leaps without risking credibility.”