Environment

This show was held at the ‘Casa Perfect’, a gallery for L.A. interior design phenom, The Future Perfect. Nestled in Beverly Hills, this space is curated with design collectables, furniture, and art — the aesthetic poised between old Hollywood glamour and contemporary minimalism. Once the home of Elvis Presley, this casa is neither garish, nor brutalist — but a receptive, modern context to view, appreciate and feel at home with high design.

"This casa is neither garish, nor brutalist — but a receptive, modern context to view, appreciate and feel at home with high design."

The exhibition was born out of collaboration with ceramic and sculptural artist, Jonathan Cross, whose wood-fired work references geological textures and crystalline shapes. Cross creates his own clay out of the soil in the barren lands circumventing Joshua Tree, CA, and uses various types of local wood during the firing process. These assiduous practices yield sculptures and vessels with idiosyncratic surface texture, grain and overall character.

Trees were paired with Cross’s vessels based on their cue for a certain environment. Each composition is a study of a certain organic niche — bare desert, rugged cliffside, limestone bedrock — an attempt to artistically abstract the union between land and flora.

"Each composition is a study of a certain organic niche — an attempt to artistically abstract the union between land and flora."

The juxtaposition between these elemental pieces and the highly polished dwelling provoked fascinating commentary on the impact these natural references can have in a household setting. It was an opportunity to interact with the work, not as a separate gallery piece on a wall, unreachable, but as living art with which you could co-exist.

There’s something steadfast in these trees’ presence; with some being over 1000 years in age, that temporal reference is grounding, if not awe-inducing. This show truly explored the capacity for a long-term relationship with these trees, as a familial, trans-species constituent of our broader ecological story.

This exhibition was a rare opportunity to glimpse these compositions in situ. It illuminated not only the massive impact bonsai have in a home, but also as complementary aspects to the many other design & artful wonders shown at the ‘Casa Perfect.’

Credits: Ceramics - Jonathan Cross, Gallery - The Future Perfect, Photography - Arthur Hitchcock, Videography - Ricardo Nagaoka, Post-production - Josh Sales