Something About a Tree
Flag Art Foundation
New York, New York
July 10 - September 7, 2013

Curated by Linda Yablonski

Curated by Linda Yablonsky, this thoughtful group exhibition explored the symbolic, emotional, and formal significance of trees across a broad spectrum of contemporary art practices.

Our third time exhibiting at Glenn Fuhrman's FLAG Art Foundation, Something About A Tree came at a pivotal moment in our lives. Living in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn and navigating the emotional and financial struggles of early career life, we were spending hundreds of hours creating intricate beaded sculptures—devoting ourselves to craft and to a deeply personal form of expression.

Included in the exhibition were four of our beaded tree sculptures: Guilt Tree, This Piggy in Hiding (a pink tree), Bunny Down, and a  work commissioned by Beth Rudin DeWoody, Guilt Tree, during a time when we were reckoning with shame, sorrow, and endurance. It evolved into  a gray weeping willow-like form whose beaded limbs hung low and spread across the ground. Each piece was painstakingly crafted with thousands of glass beads, representing vulnerability, memory, and resilience.

There really is something about a tree. As forms  in a landscape, trees echo the human condition—psychologically as well as physically. 

The exhibition included works by  Robert Longo, Ugo Rondinone, Michael Stipe, Tacita Dean, Zoe Leonard, and so many others who came together to reflect on the universal symbolism of  trees.

View the Flag Art Foundation Page

Group Exhibitions