Tote bag inspired by the work Graft, 2019 by Allora & Calzadilla

In Graft, thousands of pink blossoms appear as though a wind has swept them across the floor of the different rooms of the museum. Divorced from their usual context, the blossoms scattered inside with no tree in sight might lead us to ask where they might have fallen from. Each of these artificial flowers was cast from those of Tabebuia heterophylla trees, a native oak species in the Caribbean.

The hand-painted fallen petals are reproduced in different states of decomposition, from the freshly fallen, and seemingly still moist, to wilted and brown. Graft alludes to environmental changes set in motion through the interlocking effects of colonial exploitation and global climatic transformation.

Jennifer Allora (1974, USA) and Guillermo Calzadilla (1971, Cuba) are a collaborative duo of visual artists who live and work in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Through a research-based approach, their works trace intersections of history, material culture, ecology, and politics, using a multiplicity of artistic media that include performance, sculpture, sound, video, and photography.

Graft, 2019

Recycled polyvinyl chloride and paint. Dimensions variable

Courtesy of Lisson Gallery, Chantal Crousel, Kurimanzutto.