Artist Lucía Pizzani is unveiling her first institutional UK exhibition at Focal Point Gallery titled Lucía Pizzani: Faunal Succession. Throughout the exhibition, which takes place from March 25 to May 30, 2026, Pizzani focuses on the Essex coast through a ‘deep time’ lens, linking geological transformation with the contemporary subject of climate change.

Lucía Pizzani: Faunal Succession

The series of installations collaborates with artists Cecilia Bonilla and Jaime Gilli, as well as local community groups. The show consists of three environments that combine installation, sculpture, painting, sound, and community participation.

“Each space references the geological strata of coastal Britain and its living organisms, combining scientific and poetic interpretations of the landscape,” according to a press release.

The title ‘faunal succession’ refers to the observation of chronological patterns in fossils, which allows geologists to date sedimentary rock layers. This physical manifestation of ‘deep time’ can be used to rethink contemporary ecological crises.

The first installation examines the history of chalk in relation to Britain and as a visual record of deep time, formed from the accumulated remains of microscopic organisms over millions of years.

Sculptural installations made of chalk from Chafford Gorges will be in the center of the gallery. They will feature carved, painted, and engraved pieces, as well as those merged with dried plants and combined with ceramic forms. Another gallery will feature faint bodily marks made by the artist, imprinting her head, hands, and limbs onto wet plaster to create traces resembling fossils.

The next environment focuses on amber, a fossilised tree resin coveted for its shine, and how it protects small organisms and plants. This portion of the exhibit is a ‘time capsule’ of flora and fauna, including pieces such as forest ferns emerging from clay vases patterned with fossil imprints.

The show will also feature a series of collages reflecting hybrid creatures and a sound piece created collaboratively with musician Jaime Weyler. Additionally, artist Jaime Gili has created large paintings on cut canvas, using naturally occurring iron oxide pigment. These paintings interact with ceramic pieces by Pizzani to form a mural that will be visible from the square outside the gallery.