Artificial_Plant_Installation, Two (Adios Austin) led by Carlos F Carrillo Jr. , 2018
shown at Icosa gallery, Austin, TX
“In the corner shine Carlos Carrillo’s and Yevgenia Davidoff’s potted light bulb cacti (“Adios Austin”), smallish incandescent light bulbs and other electrical elements sprouting up from beds of artificial moss in terracotta pots. These small, humble pots fill several wall-mounted shelves like books in a student apartment, evoking the subtle magic of ordinary materials combined in extraordinary ways.”
Title: Artificial_Plant_Installation, Two (Adios Austin)
Series: Low-Tech Organics
Medium: Found Objects & Readymades - birch plywood, paint, electrical hardware, acrylic panels & rods , brackets, Sharpies, tape, terra cotta pots, and incandescent light bulbs.
Dimensions: site specific
Installation shot at FLEX Space gallery
The sculptural installation “Adios Austin” invites viewers to contemplate interplay between the organic and the industrial, the mundane and the extraordinary. It prompts us to question the dichotomies we often take for granted, urging us to see beauty and meaning in the unexpected and the unconventional.
The stacked bookshelves, a familiar domestic object, serve as both a structural framework and a symbol of knowledge and culture. The terracotta flower pots, nestled within these holes, introduce an organic, earthy element into the otherwise industrial setting. Their presence evokes themes of growth, life, and the passage of time. However, the unconventional "flowers" made of industrial materials subvert traditional notions of nature, challenging viewers to reconsider their preconceptions.
The overflowing electrical cables, resembling vines, add a dynamic energy to the installation, blurring the boundaries between the artificial and the natural. They serve as a reminder of our increasingly interconnected, technologically-driven world, where even nature is influenced by human intervention. The colored masking tape, connecting the shelves and creating drawings in space, adds another layer of complexity to the installation. It introduces a playful, improvisational quality, while also highlighting the artist's deliberate manipulation of space and form.
