VIVARIUM FORAS | RYAN PARRA

Ryan Parra, an American photographer based in Arizona, combines artistic practice with ethnobotanical research, an interdisciplinary science at the intersection of cultural anthropology and botany.
The artist’s work is driven by a genuine curiosity about the relationship between culture and the surrounding natural world. His goal is to highlight how flora has played a pivotal role in the development of human knowledge and how its presence has been fundamental in many scientific discoveries.

One of Parra’s longest-running projects is Vivarium Foras (2017–2024), a series of photographs and digital compositions that serves as a precise, scientific cataloging of plants and, more broadly, the subjects at the core of his research. From the titles to the composition of each image, from the technique used to the detailed descriptions accompanying each piece, the artist demonstrates a level of dedication to this project comparable to that of a scientist or archivist.
Carnegiea gigantea, Crested Saguaro, Saguaro National Park, AZ, 2018, for example, is a digital photomontage depicting a massive saguaro, one of Arizona’s largest and longest-living cactus species.
A series of elements in the artwork reveal intriguing details about this plant: at the center of the frame, a desert landscape filled with cacti is visible through an optical lens, carefully held by the artist, who wears a laboratory glove; standing beside the saguaro is a person, providing a sense of scale—the plant is five times the height of an average human; from the sides of the central lens, two thin extensions lead to two smaller lenses, each exploring different phases of the saguaro’s physiological transformations—on one side, a white flower, and on the other, a red fruit.
The background landscape, seen through the lens, appears inverted, with the blue sky at the bottom and the brown earth at the top. This inversion is not only a technical consequence of using optics but also a fascinating visual device, skillfully employed by Parra to spark curiosity and draw the viewer’s attention.
Vivarium Foras is a kind of ‘field application’ of still life photography. Parra employs this technique to create a cataloging process that is not only demonstrative but also richly descriptive, resulting in a distinctive and recognizable narrative style.

Ryan Parra
Carnegiea gigantea, Crested Saguaro, Saguaro National Park, AZ, 2018
From the series “Vivarium”
Still life and digital photography
Courtesy the artist

15/03/25