“Philodendron: From Pan-Latin Exotic to American Modern”, The Wolfsonian-FIU, Miami Beach, FL, October 6, 2015 – February 28, 2016
The Philodendron experience begins with special commissions in The Wolfsonian’s lobby. Forest for the Trees, an immersive installation by the Columbian-German landscape architect team Mauricio del Valle and Veronika Schunk, brings the jungle into the museum by introducing live plant specimens of various philodendron species. All commonly found throughout South Florida and harvested locally from collections including the Kampong and Pinecrest Gardens, the plants were raised to maturity by local non-profit Urban GreenWorks—an organization that empowers and restores underserved communities through environmental projects. This indoor "forest" of plant totems will be displayed in dialogue with: The Somnambulist’s Garden, a collage by Miami artist Pepe Mar; a series of works by Naomi Fisher, also from Miami, exploring the balance between nature and civilization; and Quando Eu Vi Series I and II, Brazilian artist Claudia Jaguaribe’s large-scale, panoramic photomural sculptures of composite views of the rainforest.
Christian Larsen, Ph.D., Associate Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
