Main Space:
Margarita Cabrera
Arbol de la Vida

Sara Meltzer Gallery is pleased to present Arbol de la Vida, Margarita Cabrera's most recent body of work. Cabrera is best known for soft sculpture in vinyl that she painstakingly constructs and sews by hand. In her new series, Cabrera has employed clay to create life-sized facsimiles of agriculture and construction equipment.

The "Arbol de la Vida" dates back to the ceramic traditions of ancient Olmec culture, and is today among the most well known themes of Mexican folk art. For over 100 years, Metepec, Izucar de Matamoros and Acatlán in Mexico, have been known for their distinctive "Arbol de la Vida," which explains the origins of life - the biblical story of The Garden of Eden. Made of clay with symbols such as fruit, animals and biblical figures attached to the tree by wire, this depiction of the "Arbol de la Vida" embodies narratives ranging from Mexico's history to individual autobiography.

For Cabrera's Arbol de la Vida, she has replaced the traditional tree form with a life-sized replica of a John Deere tractor in clay. This symbol of the agriculture industry is accompanied by a series of tools: a hammer, shovel and wheelbarrow, all embellished with the traditional elements of the "Arbol de la Vida." The dissipating presence of Mexican craft is at the core of this body of work. The rapid rate of Mexican immigration and the influx of products made in China has forced many young Mexicans and craftsmen to abandon a legacy of craft traditions, many of which serve as cultural documents. Cabrera traveled in Mexico to research the rich and diverse history of Mexican crafts and to learn some of the techniques. The process involved many communities, with clay castings taking place in Juarez, Mexico; molding, firing and welding in El Paso, Texas and mechanical work in Mesquite, New Mexico.

Penthouse:
Shannon Plumb
Together

Shannon Plumb uses a cinematic lens to highlight the humor and expose the intricate complexities embedded within the mundane actions of everyday life. Influenced by slapstick comedy, Plumb transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary and vice versa by portraying her characters with artful zest.

Initially tackling content ranging from commercials and instructional videos to influential cinematic genres, she produced short vignettes shot with Super-8mm in both black and white and color and incorporated lo-fi aesthetics. Her work gradually expanded to the realm of provocative pop culture depicting such events as the Olympic games and more recently a fashion runway show. Yet, one element remains constant throughout, Plumb always portrays every single character depicted within her work herself.

Together consists of a series of films inspired by the artist's grandparents who, after spending a lifetime together, now approach the inevitable fact of mortality. The quasi-documentary structure reinforces the artist's anthropological approach to domestic living with seven shorts, each representing a day of the week. Presenting familiar activities of married life that range from sharing a meal to preparing for a night's sleep, Plumb provides a unique contemporary portrait of cohabitation with a comic twist.

Selections from Together can now be seen on YouTube.com