Two Cuban artists, Alejandro Campins and Jose Yaque, feature in the City of Queen Anne’s Lace exhibition now on view at the Wasserman Projects gallery in Detroit. Using painting, sculpture, and drawing, they embody the emotion of Detroit’s past, present, and future.

Campins’ works, laconic in style, are similar to those of Polish artist Joseph Schulz, whose Form 14 (archetypal of Schulz’s style) exhibits architecture without detail. That work was cited by critic Stephen Parnell in his essay “Post-truth architecture.” “Stripped of just a few elements, such as lettering, mundane architecture can reveal an uncanny elegance,” Parnell said. The same could be said of Campins’ paintings, if not for the moody tones and visible brush strokes (he used oils, watercolors, and also pencil) that convey the opposite. His works represent an abandoned Detroit, yet, despite their sense of silence, there are symbols of optimism: A green traffic signal and blank billboard can be interpreted as signifiers of opportunity.

Yaque’s work, meanwhile, is more explicitly optimistic. Made from Detroit’s recycled trash, a large-scale installation rises up from the ground, topped with grass, flowers, and other greenery. The work appears at a glance to be molded by layers of sediment and soil (and Detroit’s history)—almost as if a section of the earth’s crust lifted from the ground. The piece physically dominates the gallery; exactly what is atop the chunk of recycled earth is unknown and out of sight, but we know from what we do see is that the land upon which is grows is evidently fertile. This piece also references the exhibition’s name. Also known as a “Wild Carrot,” Queen Anne’s Lace is a flower that is commonly found sprouting from the city’s decaying buildings. While most often associated with Detroit’s downfalls, the plant has substantial nutritional value.

Yaque also uses a more traditional medium. Like his Cuban counterpart, he draws, though Yaque employs charcoal to depict Detroit’s urban vernacular. Yaque’s technique allows his drawings to be nostalgic as they don the faded aesthetic of a century-old photograph. Smudging, often applied to the based of a work, connotes energy—the lost energy of the lonely landmarks and time passing by, wind-like and invariably contributing to the building’s demise. Unlike his built work, these images hark back to a Detroit that is certainly consigned to memory, with buildings either no longer used or repurposed. However, in a similar vein to his sculpture, this reference point is only implied.

City of Queen Anne’s Lace has been curated by Rafael DiazCasas, an art historian and independent curator based in New York City. The exhibition came about after Wasserman Projects founder Gary Wasserman saw Campins’ works while in Havana. Through DiazCasas, the two discussed the parallels between Detroit’s and Cuba’s history. Inspired by this, Campins visited the Michigan city for himself, later introducing Yaque to the city too. The pair encountered much Wild Carrot during their foray into Detroit. According to a press release, they found the flower to be symbolic of change and natural rebalancing. This sentiment formed the basis of their work for the exhibition, promoting a feeling of hope while looking at Detroit through an alternative lens.

City of Queen Anne’s Lace is on view at Wasserman Projects through June 24, 2017.