Locust Projects presents Viverium Meconium, an indoor butterfly nursery by Miami-based artist Franky Cruz. In a practice that borrows from plant cultivation and native-species conservation, Cruz dons the hat of hobbyist entomologist and cultivates butterflies–from egg to chrysalis to hatchling–during his eight-week residency at Locust Projects.
Cruz raises the butterflies with the diligence of scientific methodology and the nurturing of someone who deeply cares for these creatures. Of particular interest to him is their meconium, or the fluid they release upon emerging from their chrysalis, which he collects onto watercolor paper laid beneath them in this process. The delicate umber, ochre and iridescent tones of these secretions drip and splatter onto the paper, creating a series of studies that recall the history of action painting and scientific treatises.
Franky Cruz (b. 1984, Dominican Republic) received his BFA from the New World School of the Arts, Miami, in 2011. He has participated in residencies at HomeBase Project, Berlin, and the Airie Residency at the Everglades National Park, FL, where he explores conservation issues as part of his interdisciplinary practice. Most recently, Cruz completed a residency at Elsewhere in Greensboro, NC. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at Miami galleries and spaces including Spinello Projects (2016 & 2014), Dorsch Gallery (2015), and Primary Projects (2011), among others. Cruz currently lives and works in Miami, FL.
Viverium Meconium
September 9 – October 7, 2017
Opening reception: Saturday, September 9, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Walk and talk with Franky Cruz: Sunday, September 10, 4:00pm
Locust Projects
3852 North Miami Avenue,
Miami Fl 33127.
www.locustprojects.org
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