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Philodendron: From Pan-Latin Exotic to American Modern
Christian Larsen
The Wolfsonian, Florida International University | Miami Beach, FL
Exhibition dates: October 16, 2015 - February 28, 2016
Philodendron: From Pan-Latin Exotic to American Modern celebrates overlooked aspects of the cultural exchange between the United States and Latin America from mid-twentieth century to today by presenting an in-depth case study of a pervasive, everyday object of material culture: the tropical houseplant. Exotic and even garden-variety flora have been in global circulation for centuries. However, the mid-twentieth century popularity of South American plants in North American homes speaks of a cross-cultural pollination more complex than the desire for a decorative flourish. After botanists successfully hybridized wild species for industrial cultivation, philodendrons entered the American market. Philodendron will reveal how tropical plants engaged with and altered the American domestic landscape and perceptions of Latin Americans beginning in the 1930s. In the American home and through representation in various media, the philodendron evolved from exotic novelty to modernist icon, and later, into one of today's most common houseplants.
Christian Larsen
The Wolfsonian, Florida International University | Miami Beach, FL
Exhibition dates: October 16, 2015 - February 28, 2016
Philodendron: From Pan-Latin Exotic to American Modern celebrates overlooked aspects of the cultural exchange between the United States and Latin America from mid-twentieth century to today by presenting an in-depth case study of a pervasive, everyday object of material culture: the tropical houseplant. Exotic and even garden-variety flora have been in global circulation for centuries. However, the mid-twentieth century popularity of South American plants in North American homes speaks of a cross-cultural pollination more complex than the desire for a decorative flourish. After botanists successfully hybridized wild species for industrial cultivation, philodendrons entered the American market. Philodendron will reveal how tropical plants engaged with and altered the American domestic landscape and perceptions of Latin Americans beginning in the 1930s. In the American home and through representation in various media, the philodendron evolved from exotic novelty to modernist icon, and later, into one of today's most common houseplants.
Press
New York Times: New Print Technologies Help Art Books Survive in a Digital World
Miami News Times: "Philodendron" Flowers at the Wolfsonian
Curbed: The Wolfsonian is Building an Immersive Jungle in its Lobby
Wallpaper.com: Tropical fever: The Wolfsonian in Miami gives the common houseplant its due
Print Magazine – Daily Heller blog: The Allure of Philodendron
1stdibs INTROSPECTIVE magazine: How a Tropical Plant Took Root in the West
Miami Herald: Wolfsonian Exhibit Salutes the Philodendron
Florida International University: 2014-15 Annual Report
Miami News Times: "Philodendron" Flowers at the Wolfsonian
Curbed: The Wolfsonian is Building an Immersive Jungle in its Lobby
Wallpaper.com: Tropical fever: The Wolfsonian in Miami gives the common houseplant its due
Print Magazine – Daily Heller blog: The Allure of Philodendron
1stdibs INTROSPECTIVE magazine: How a Tropical Plant Took Root in the West
Miami Herald: Wolfsonian Exhibit Salutes the Philodendron
Florida International University: 2014-15 Annual Report
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