Photo by Aad Hogendoorn

Humus

Secret Gardens, Tent Rotterdam 2012. In de Luwte van de Tussentijd, 35th Kunsten Festival Watou, Kunst vzw, Belgium 2015.
A site-specific installation with trees' roots.
Ceiling construction, trees' roots, halogen lamps.

The spectacular installation by Sicilian artist Giuseppe Licari presents a fanciful network of tree roots, which seem to transform TENT’s central space into a mysterious underworld: the roots project downwards from the ceiling as if the trees are growing above it. The title of the work is ‘Humus’, referring to the soil layer that is essential for the growth of trees and plants, but which is indeed absent here. The relationship between humankind and nature, growth and decay are central themes in Licari’s work, which resonates with an echo of Arte Povera.

Text by Willie Stehouwer.

This project was made possible with the support of CBK - Tent Rotterdam, Mondriaan Fonds Amsterdam and Stichting Stokroos Utrecht.

Photo by Job Janssen & Jan Adriaans

Photo by Job Janssen & Jan Adriaans

Photo by Aad Hogendoorn

Humus 2015 | In de Luwte van de Tussentijd, 35th Kunsten Festival Watou, Belgium. Photos by the artist.

Humus 2021 | Living Matter, Triumph Gallery, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Photo by Zhivoe Veschestvo.