Polyurethane and isocyanate foam, woven palms, cactus thorns
40 x 63 x 37 inches
As a kid, I grew used to seeing palm tree fronds on the ground as I walked down our block. Sometimes they fell on the windshields of parked cars or in someone’s driveway. Artist Maria Maea uses palm fronds to create sculptures and installations, weaving them together into something new. These aren’t just leaves to step over on the street, they’re tools for artmaking.
The artist draws from her Mexican and Samoan heritage, as well as her ties to Southern California, in works that also incorporate materials like dried flowers, wax, concrete, corn, charcoal, and wood. Infinite Hibiscus (2024) made me pause when I saw it at Jeffrey Deitch gallery in Los Angeles. I often forget about my body when I look at art, but Maea’s work pulled me back into myself.
Infinite Hibiscus features a water fountain surrounded by spray-painted palm fronds at its base; at the center, a figure with closed eyes holds up a hand, its copper hair sticking straight up into the air. Wish into me (Tuapo) (2024) is a seated figure made of foam, with a cloak of fronds draped over its shoulders and cactus thorns on its “skin.” Its palm faces out, as if offering or asking for something. Together, the pieces slowed me down, and inspired me to take a breath and loosen my shoulders. An intentional breath in and out, like a fallen palm frond on the street, is something we often take for granted.
At the Edge of the Sun
Jeffrey Deitch, Orange Drive gallery
Los Angeles, CA