James Rosenquist was an American artist and figure in the Pop Art movement, who used his experience working in advertising to explore the role of consumer culture in society. Rosenquist used his art to address pressing social and cultural conversations, including dialogues about nature and its ongoing destruction. Pyramid Between Two Dry Lakes, 1976, exemplifies Rosenquist’s ideas about nature and human intervention: a man-made pyramid sits between two lakes, once full, but now empty. Exploding Pollen, 1992, refers to bees–an insect that’s both integral to our food system and our climate. Throughout the ‘90s, urbanization, rising temperatures and increased pesticide use forced bees out of their natural habitats and has led to a steady decline in the species. Rosenquist’s work serves as both a celebration of the insect and, perhaps, an elegy.