‘Oleander’ from Onajide Shabaka.

On the walls of the lobby of a dental office in a space that is called art@work, Onajide Shabaka’s small drawings and paintings of plant life lull you into a sense of peace and contemplative thoughts. They are generally two-toned – maybe a black sprig or twig against on off-white canvas with burnt-looking edges. Delicately drawn leaves in white against a black backdrop. One remarkable piece silhouettes a black branch painted on found metal.

Nonthing surreal or hidden, but each one with its own lovely individualism. Shabaka is a kind of wondering artistic botanist, traveling around the natural landscapes of the United States and particularly Florida, “jotting” down his observations through drawings and photography and video, and picking up the leaves and stones and taking them back to the studio to incorporate it all into his works. So it’s not a surprise that this recent series is titled “Pedestrian Field Studies.”

As part of his ecological studies, Shabaka has also focused on the particular medicinal properties of plants, especially in how they are manifested in native and African-American cultures. It’s somewhat fitting that they are being shown in the offices of orthodontist Arturo Mosquera, who also works in a sense with the properties of healing. Mosquera is an art collector as well, and in the back spaces where the dental work takes place are the latest pieces from his collection, including work from numerous artists who have helped shape Miami’s contemporary art scene, and including video as well (yes, above the dental chairs!).

Snapshot and graffiti from ‘Memories of War.’

In the blue building next door, which is part of the art complex out on Galloway Road near FIU, is a more conceptual show. “Memory of War” could be called a graffiti project, but not in the traditional sense. The images in photos, scribblings, text and video are gathered from the underbelly of Cuba, the political expressions in black tar and purple ink, in specific fonts, from a crumbling land and system. It’s about 21st century vehicles of expression and repression.

It’s part of an ongoing project from Cuba-born artists Ana Olema and Annelys PM Casanova (who both now live in the U.S.), curated by the locally based Ernesto Oroza. To follow more of its trajectory, go to www.memoryofwar.com.

“Pedestrian Field Studies” from Onajide Shabaka runs through Sept. 7 and “Memories of War” runs through Sept. 14, at art@work and Farside galleries, 1305 S.W. 87th St. (Galloway Rd.), Miami. Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment; faresiegallery.bellsouth.net.