In her series Painted Desert, Hänninen travels through Joshua Tree National Park, Monument Valley, and Saguaro National Park in Arizona, delib­erately choosing locations most affected by drought. Through her documentation of these natural surroundings, she reflects on our relationship with landscape and nature. Her process begins with black-and-white photographs that vividly capture the stark impacts of change on desert landscapes. As one of the environments most sensitive to the ever-changing cli­mate, volatile fluctuations place desert life in danger of extinc­tion, with rising temperatures and droughts posing increasing threats. By staining the prints and intervening with paint, Hän­ninen transforms the original im­ages, creating a deeply personal response to these vanishing land­scapes. Her painterly interventions breathe life and color back into the drought-stricken deserts, restoring what has been lost and symbol­izing the fragility of these endan­gered environments as human presence encroaches upon them.