Forest Bathing
Opening Reception: May 2, 2025
On View: May 2 - 30, 2025
643 Project Space, 643 N Ventura Ave, Ventura CA
McKenzie, Rabinov and Poindexter on-island. Image: Jasmine Novack.
A collaboration of underwater art, Forest Bathing is an immersive exploration of the kelp forests of California inspired by three artists and their experiences freediving together off the Channel Islands. This unique exhibition highlights the beauty, fragility, and ecological significance of these underwater forests through a dynamic mix of individual works and exclusive cross-disciplinary pieces co-created by the trio. Through Michaela Rabinov’s striking underwater photography, Marie McKenzie’s evocative oil paintings, and Oriana Poindexter’s ethereal photograms, visitors will be transported beneath the surface of the kelp canopy. Forest Bathing serves as a call to action, raising awareness about the importance of these marine ecosystems and the urgent need to protect them for future generations.
Forest Bathing will open with a reception in Ventura at 643 Project Space on Friday, May 2, 2025, and will be on view through May 30, 2025. A portion of proceeds will be donated to SeaTrees and the exhibit will be featured in the Kelp Forest Alliance pledge. The artists will be holding interactive pop-ups throughout the month, including workshops and group dives to the Channel Islands.
About the Artists
Marie McKenzie is an oil painter and free diver. …
Learn more and browse Marie’s available works at mariemckenzie.com.
Michaela Rabinov is an Oahu-based land & sea adventure lifestyle photographer, content partner, producer, creator, & explorer. Born and raised in the islands, Michaela has built her photography career around her love for the outdoors, the ocean, & all that comes with it. She will push past boundaries to do what is needed to get the shot & “can do anything with a camera in her hand”. She has worked with national & local brands to bring their stories to life in an artistic & stylistic way, captivating their audience & focusing on their relationship with the natural world.
Learn more and browse Michaela’s work at michaelarabinov.com.
Oriana Poindexter is a photographer and marine scientist. Her work opens dialogues about our relationship with the changing biodiversity of the ocean using traditional and alternative photo processes. She holds an M.A.S. in Marine Biodiversity & Conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a B.A. in Visual Arts from Princeton University. Her work has been published by Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and exhibited at the Oceanside Museum of Art, the Center for Fine Art Photography, and the San Diego Public Library, and many others. She creates art-science exhibits for Southern California’s leading aquariums, most recently for Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen, the Birch Aquarium at UC San Diego’s participation in the Getty Center’s PST Art Initiative. Her works are held in private collections across the United States and in Europe.
Learn more and browse available works at www.orianapoindexter.com