COURTESY OF THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE
Experimental Greens : Trellis Composition , 2023 . Watercolor on paper , 20 × 30 in . ( 50.8 × 76.2 cm ). This watercolor is a concept drawing for the garden she has planted at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill as part of the Humane Ecology : Eight Positions exhibition © Pallavi Sen .
ness . It is among few institutions of its caliber where the location serves a palate cleanser rather than a distraction . This becomes a perfect setting for thought-provoking , ecologically grounded exhibitions , such as the outdoor sculptural exhibition Ground / work ( 2020-21 ) and the forthcoming Humane Ecology : Eight Positions .
Throughout the process of curating Humane Ecology , Wiesenberger made a conscious effort to reject the traditional , monolithic , westernized interpretation of the connection between art and nature .
“ I wanted to complicate the ways that we think about nature and art ,” he says . “ It ’ s a show about the relationship between people and the environment — especially people who have not always been central in environmental discussions .” Not all of the eight artists ’ works directly exemplify “ eco art ” in their subject matter or materials ; several artists featured in Humane Ecology have created pieces that showcase
10 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE July 2023 the ecological intersectionality of critical cultural issues .
Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio ’ s work serves as a prime example . Aparicio was born and raised in Los Angeles , and his artworks are made with painted latex castings of ficus trees . “ He gets a flattened representation of the trunk of the tree that picks up incredible detail ,” notes Wiesenberger . “ It doesn ’ t just have the texture and topography of the bark — it also has the organic matter , the smog of the air , and markings from graffiti and city workers .” The latex is embellished with sculptural elements such as ceramic or glass pieces on one side and is enhanced with fabric and painted elements on the other side .
An excerpt from the Humane Ecology catalogue details how Aparicio ’ s decision to use ficus trees was tied to a greater cultural statement . Ficus trees were brought to Los Angeles and planted by city workers to provide shade on the streets in the mid-
20th century . Aparicio ’ s family fled the civil war in El Salvador around the same time . Many Mexican and Salvadoran families played a critical role in America ’ s economic development through their contributions as migrant workers . Over the following decades , the buttress roots from the ficus trees broke up the sidewalks in many Los Angeles neighborhoods . As a direct consequence , the trees began to be seen as a nuisance , and some were uprooted . Similarly , many Central American migrant workers were metaphorically uprooted from their homes in Los Angeles and deported .
“ The artworks serve as an autobiographical metaphor ,” says Wiesenberger . He notes that the latex used in the artworks came from rubber trees in Central America , adding an additional dimension to the material history . “ It ’ s a clear example of the natural and social elements being intertwined .”
Carolina Caycedo is an artist of