Considers art since the 1970s, and especially art since 2000, as it addresses some of the thorniest questions and discoveries in biology. Wewill focus on art involving trees, fungus, and nonhuman animals, as wellas art inquiring into the nature of consciousness. Readings will be drawn not only from art history and criticism but also from recent work in biology and consciousness studies. Although our readings will focus on contemporary art, essays on other fields within art history are welcome.