A new site-specific sculptural installation is opening at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont on November 13th. Artist Brandon Lomax combines fine art and scientific horticulture in vividly motion-filled sculptures. His art in the garden is beautifully designed to fit the environment. Immersive experiences tied to natural cycles are the thematic components of many of his many sculptural and installation works. Empathetic and encompassing, Lomax reminds viewers and exhibition participants of their place in the universe.
In this exhibition, Lomax’s sculptural works will be shown at various stages of completion, from fully fired clay works as durable as stone, to unfired clay pieces more vulnerable to the weather and natural garden elements. Guided by garden horticulturists, Lomax has embedded some works with native plant species. During the exhibition, which will run until June 2022, these unfired works will disintegrate and rejoin the soil, their once solid forms replaced by new plants.
The work is designed to reference many meanings about place, restoration, and diversity, reminding viewers that we’re all vital contributors, and instilling the hope that human beings can celebrate our own biodiversity. Lomax’s wish is for us to work together to create a more positive symbiotic relationship with each other and the earth itself. Lomax himself is currently completely a master’s degree in ecology at the Burren College of Art in County Clare, Ireland.
His works here suggest the impermanent transience of population diversity within a given place. Some pieces, just like plants and people, last far longer than others, with the fired works serving as monuments to sustainability, and unfired pieces representing the natural cycle of selection and species dominance.
On opening day, Lomax will be onsite at the California Botanic Garden for some public workshops. While space is limited, viewers can participate in a public installation using unfired clay infused with native plant seeds to create small sculptures. These will be added to the artist’s own large-scale installation. Participants are encouraged to return periodically to the site over its 7-month span to see how their own sculptural works transform to native flora. To check availability, visit https://www.calbg.org/events-programs/events
Garden hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for members; tickets: https://www.calbg.org/
- Genie Davis; photos provided by artist