Mika Rottenberg: In the Studio

‘I’ve always been interested in collaborating with the forces of nature.’ Made from carved bittersweet vines and reclaimed plastic that Mika Rottenberg molds, extrudes, and presses into sculptural forms, the artist’s new work ‘Rottenbar’-from conception to production-suggests the artist’s studio can be an incubator for a regenerative circle of creation and consumption.
In this new body of work, Rottenberg uses invasive bittersweet vines that flourish and choke forests in Upstate New York. The vines are carved by artist Max Bard, who takes into consideration the unique shapes of this odd squiggly wood, thus adding value to an otherwise ‘worthless’ timber. The carved vines are then pegged together using reclaimed plastic sticks and blobs made in-house; this process results in a playful, regenerative system of production that can be extended and combined ‘indefinitely’ without the use of screws or adhesives. In the alchemy of her studio, Rottenberg combines these otherwise disregarded toxic and invasive materials to create ‘luxury’ designs in a style that she jokingly refers to as ‘eco rococo,’ saying, ‘I have been developing a circular production line in my studio in an attempt to create a little system that is regenerative rather than destructive.’
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Hauser & Wirth is an international contemporary and modern art gallery with spaces in Zurich, London, Somerset, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Gstaad, St. Moritz, Monaco, Menorca and Paris.
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[@dimitrilikissas]

I liked the reclaimed plastic and how she shapes it. The colors come out nice with a fade as well.

[@jtench452]

I like it.

[@archiechoke23]

Looking good

[@p3ssoa]

💜