Working with cellulose sponges, wire, and glue, Lucrecia Troncoso carves and folds her chosen media to embody plants in nature. She is particularly intrigued by the mythic Tree of Life, finding inspiration in El Árbol del Tule in Oaxaca, the ceibo tree of her native Argentina, and California’s remarkable redwoods. Troncoso’s work is green here in several senses of the word: Its hue and presence are lushly fantastical, its references to the natural world as interpreted and altered by humankind are poignant in the face of our ongoing environmental crisis. And of course, the thing is for sale, a magnificent (and benevolent) version of "The Little Shop of Horrors’" with its man-eating star. Still, the artist’s chief investigations focus on the “materials from our everyday lives. Through a lot of these materials. . .like soap [Ivory® carved into pigeons], hair, and paper towels, there is a theme of. . .cleanliness and beauty,” she says. “I guess I have a hard time reconciling how clean and pretty our lives [are supposed] to be with the overall chaos. . .of nature.”
