#michael nannery

[michaelnannery]

Herb Spiral, December 2018

Sweet basil, tulsi, Cuban oregano/Mexican mint, rose, marigold, white sage, yarrow, cilantro, plantain, curly parsley, thyme, lemon verbena, basil mint, rue, prickly pear cactus, aloe, lemongrass, tulsi (different variety), fennel, wormwood, mugwort, California mugwort, eucalyptus, avocado, citrus, pineapple sage, rosemary, lavender, purple sage, chia, greater mallow, galangal.

All herbs were collected from my personal gardens, friends’ gardens, or or from my neighborhood.  Much of this material was pruned from perennial herbs or trees, which ultimately allowed for new, vigorous growth.  The only plants that were seriously harmed (killed) for this project were annual “weeds”.

Herbs were arranged in the exhibition space to demonstrate the drying process.  The combined aroma of the variety of plant compounds effectively diffused throughout the gallery, thus influencing the experience of visitors.

[michaelnannery]

Herb Spiral (Dried), December 2018

Various herbs, paper towels

for PERMUTATIONS @ Torrance Art Museum

DECEMBER 1 — 15, 2018; GALLERY TWO

Herb Spiral takes the form of an assortment of fresh aromatics and herbs arranged in a ten-foot spiral across the center of the gallery floor. The materials were harvested immediately before the opening of the show and filled the gallery with their combined fragrances.  The plants dried over the course of the exhibition, thus lending their collective aroma to the exhibition space. Visitors were encouraged to touch and smell the herbs. As they dried, the herbs required handling in order to be activated. Visitors were encouraged to take dried herbs home with them during the closing reception.

All of the aromatics included in this work are edible as herbal infusion or culinary addition. The herb spiral serves both to reference a popular home garden composition and to create an iconic pathway on which visitors may travel to the center of the gallery. This installation explores the process of drying and preserving herbs and interacting with visitors, offering them the opportunity to bring the experience home with them in different ways. I continue to use dried herbs saved from this project in my own culinary pursuits.

More about PERMUTATIONS...

Curated by Joshua Oduga & Stephanie Sherwood

Artists:

Justino Loza Gomez Randi Hokett Iain Muirhead Michael Nannery Tu Nguyen

Permutations is an intimate curatorial project conceived around the notion of change and explores the practices of five artists who embrace change in their studio practices. The works in Permutations wield their mediums and inhabit their shared space in unique and individual ways. Some works, such as those by Justino Loza Gomez, exist outside the museum walls. Others evolve throughout the lifespan of the exhibition. The ethereal natures of all these works afford for powerful statements on the cycle of life and allow us to consider them as living beings. Permutations asks its visitors to consider the life of these works—the entire lives of all the works included—and how this life informs understandings of the comprising artists. Anyone who has experienced artworks by Andy Goldworthy or Ana Mendieta, in person or through documentation, can understand the impact of these temporary and powerful visual statements. For instance, Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson holds a mythical status in the history of contemporary art. Though made of stone(s), its placement in the shallows of the Great Salt Lake means that it disappears and reappears over time through the rise and fall of the lake’s water level. Many go to great lengths to pilgrimage to its fairly isolated location.

Permutations’ curators, Joshua Oduga and Stephanie Sherwood, processually embraced change through the exhibition’s conceptual development. For them, the emergent discovery that this show would not be about death but about life was a wonderful one. Life and death are about change and new unfoldings. Permutations directs its visitors through it with the hopes that they too have wonderful discoveries. The show’s ever-changing appearance asks its audience to visit and revisit it more than once.

http://www.torranceartmuseum.com/permutations

[michaelnannery]

Michael Nannery is an artist based in Long Beach, California. His prints, illistrations, installations, and communal activities deal with time, our relationship with the natural world, and much more. Nannery currently has work on view at Gallery Flux in Long Beach.

Interview with Thomas Adams for ART TRAFFIC.  Follow the link to hear an hour and a half discussion about my art practice!  Also available to stream or download anywhere you listen to podcasts.  

[michaelnannery]

Leaves Tell the Story of Light (January-March 2018)

This particular tree, a Schefflera actinophylla variety, has subsisted within the Irvine Fine Arts Center throughout recent memory.  Originating from northern Australia and New Guinea, this species in considered invasive in humid subtropical and tropical environments as the seeds are broadly distributed by birds and other wildlife in such ideal growing conditions.  Furthermore, S. actinophylla is persistent, sometimes growing as an epiphyte off of trees, rocks, and other surfaces.  

So far, the tree has subsisted without direct human intervention since its long forgotten planting, thanklessly serving as air purifier for the exhibition space.  Through this project, we offer our attention to S. actinophylla in an effort to revitalize the plant, at least for a short period of time.  In addition to the installation of an LED grow light, the tree will receive pruning, fertilization, and TLC.

[michaelnannery]

Second firing of vessels made from recycled clay and plant fibers at Casamor Farm in Mar Vista, CA as part of the Casamor Farm Artist Residency 2018. While pit firing, I often enjoy using the excess energy released by the firewood to cook food for myself and others. https://casamorfarmartistresidency.org

[michaelnannery]

First firing of vessels made from recycled clay and plant fibers at Casamor Farm in Mar Vista, CA as part of the Casamor Farm Artist Residency 2018. While pit firing, I often enjoy using the excess energy released by the firewood to cook food for myself and others. https://casamorfarmartistresidency.org

[michaelnannery]

Overview of the Fountain aquaponic garden at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California.  July 2017-May 2018.

[michaelnannery]

The Fountain at Grand Central Art Center - December 2nd, 2017

The pink LED grow lights create light wavelengths in red and blue spectrums, which are the colors of light that plants use for photosynthesis.  This reduces the amount of energy consumed by growing the plants.

The bright light shines down on the plants from approximately 11am-11pm and is a notable fixture on the downtown Santa Ana promenade.