Step Into The Rainforest: Art Kiosk Hosts Immersive Jungle Exhibition In Redwood City

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Get ready to experience the rainforest without leaving downtown Redwood City, starting Saturday through April 12 with the new exhibition “Understory”.

This captivating installation is the work of multi-disciplinary artist Erika Knerr, presented in collaboration with Fung Collaboratives at the art kiosk located at 2208 Broadway in Downtown Redwood City.

Knerr drew inspiration for “Understory” from her acclaimed 1980s mural work for the Tropical Zone at New York’s Central Park Zoo. The installation layers color, texture and memory, creating an environment that playfully blurs the boundary between fine art and natural habitat.

The jungle scene is composed of airbrushed translucent panels, overlapping silhouettes, and fragments of foliage that hang in layers, creating a dense rainforest effect. Since the installation is housed within the Art Kiosk, viewers can only approach and observe the environment from the outside, much like viewing a greenhouse or a zoo enclosure.

Knerr’s artistic process incorporates an element of sustainability and local connection. The work begins with an underpainting created using hand-mixed coffee ink, sourced from end-of-day brew donated by a local independent grocery store. Over this richly stained foundation, Knerr builds the vibrant rainforest imagery using airbrush techniques, revisiting the trompe l’oeil illusions she perfected decades ago for the Central Park Zoo mural.

By echoing the logic of the zoo, where both animals and imagery are displayed for human observation, the exhibition prompts viewers to consider ideas about visibility, containment, and who controls the perspective. Viewers will also see their own reflections layered over the transplanted rainforest, offering a chance to contemplate our connection to nonhuman life and interdependent ecosystems.

Knerr is a multidisciplinary artist whose work often examines emotion, the human body, and the nonhuman environment. Born in Lancaster, PA, and based in Florence, MA, Knerr exhibits internationally. She has a long-standing relationship with Fung Collaboratives, stemming from her time as a principal artist with Lance Fung Gallery in New York.

This exhibition is part of the Redwood City Improvement Association’s ongoing initiative to enrich the city’s public art scene and foster community engagement. The Art Kiosk aims to bring thought-provoking public art to Redwood City, with ambitious, site-specific artworks curated by Lance M. Fung and supported by Fung Collaboratives.