CURATORIAL STATEMENT: ARBOR VITAE features sculptural works by Los Angeles based artist Pontus Willfors exploring tensions between idealized natural/organic forms and man-made/industrial constructions and materials. The most commanding sculpture in the gallery, Organic Form, takes shape as the likeness of an avocado tree and has been constructed from the remains of numerous trees salvaged from a grove wiped out by fire. While the new form may seem natural or organic at first glance, the marks of the artist and connective hardware are exposed, acknowledging the artifice of construction. In Dismembered we encounter further remains salvaged from the same grove of trees; but rather than seeking to restore these deconstructed branches to a natural likeness, this collection of branches and joints is instead conformed to a geometric grid— the complex natural forms constrained to the perfect symmetrical form of a square or rectangular prism. Reclaimed Organic Form and Aluminum Bar #2 both reverse this process. In these works, the artist begins with lumber or aluminum that has been already machined in to clean rectangular shapes for the purposes of commercial/industrial utility. Willfors then acts on these manufactured geometric shapes to recover or extract complicated organic shapes. Throughout, the artist’s frequent use of salvage materials evokes themes of death and rebirth, as the image of a tree—a symbol of vitality, beauty, and life—is drawn out from discarded material and products of industrial utility. This duality points with hopeful optimism to a process of transformation that builds on the layered history of each piece to restore a sense of wonder at the complex forms of life.
Jeff Rau, curator
Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Dismembered, 2014 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Found wood Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Reclaimed Organic Form, 2012 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Reclaimed 2x4 lumber Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Aluminum Bar #2, 2016 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Aluminum Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Dismembered, 2014 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Found wood Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Reclaimed Organic Form, 2012 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Reclaimed 2x4 lumber Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Dismembered, 2014 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Found wood Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Organic Form, 2009 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Avocado tree wood (and hardware) Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Dismembered, 2014 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Found wood Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Reclaimed Organic Form, 2012 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Reclaimed 2x4 lumber Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
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Aluminum Bar #2, 2016 Artwork by Pontus Willfors Aluminum Courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art & Architecture
ABOUT THE GALLERY: The Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery presents a program of rotating contemporary art exhibitions on the campus of Biola University. Located in the greater Los Angeles area, the Green Art Gallery is well positioned to represent a vital Christian worldview within the critical dialogue of contemporary visual art and to produce engaging exhibitions that grapple with issues concerning the intersection of faith with art and culture. The Green Art Gallery also provides professional development opportunities for Biola art students through gallery exhibitions and internships.
Cover image: Organic Form, 2009 (detail), by Pontus Willfors Artworks courtesy the artist and Edward Cella Art + Architecture, Los Angeles All artwork documentation photographs by Jeff Rau, from exhibition in the Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery. Copyright Š 2017 Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery All rights reserved. Published through Issuu.com Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery Biola University Art Department 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, CA 90639 562.903.4807 • www.Biola.edu/ArtGallery No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.