In Two One-Day-Only Shows, Exploring the Architecture of Plants and the Impermanence of Objects

In recent weeks, the design world has seen not one but two blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em exhibitions exploring the relationship between objects, humans, and plants. In Buenos Aires at the Museum of Latin American Art, the latest edition of Quick Tiny Shows — curated by Juan García Mosqueda — presented ten objects by local and international studios under the heading “Architecture for Plants.” The offerings included extra-large, cage-like planters by B.Zippy; a brass shelving unit and lamp combo with a tree climbing through its midsection by Buffet; and a moss-sprouting marble sculpture by Gaston Badii. In LA this weekend, a spiritual sister exhibit opens at Casa Perfect — Object Permanence, the quarterly exhibition curated by Leah Ring and Emma Holland Denvir, featuring work by 12 Los Angeles designers. In this iteration, each designer created a planter in the material of their choice; our favorites include Sara Ekua Todd’s purple clay succulent garden (top) and Michael Felix’s tiered metal stand. Though Mosqueda’s exhibition is more explicit about it, both are keenly aware of the context in which they’re placed, in a world being suffocated by an ecological crisis. Take a peek at some of the results below.