Taking Place
Lina Puerta, Untitled 1-4 From the Botánico Series, 2011. Installation view, detail. Floor4Art Gallery, New York. May 14 2011. Mixed media. Photo: Gina Fuentes Walker
Lina Puerta is interested in looking at the human body as a reflection of nature, observing it as a landscape and, or micro cosmos. The Botánico series is inspired by the natural weeds that grow wildly in abandoned places and empty lots around NYC. “The process of nature reclaiming a lifeless space, thus bringing life to it, is to me, a fascinating act that takes place on a daily basis” says Puerta. She observes that weeds are generally unwanted and often eradicated to create pristine lawns or manicured gardens, creating a “natural-unnatural” landscape that we have come to accept as beautiful and real.