Last month, within five days, I explored two botanical gardens and each presented an artists’s work alongside the plants. On a Friday in June we left home and garden for a few days to visit Ashfield friends who had moved to Maine. Nearby, in Boothbay, is the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 295 acres with tidal saltwater frontage. Planned in 1991 and opened in 2007, these are young gardens; but the wilder, uncultivated parts include established native growth. The art installation was a welcome surprise to me. Five giant trolls, constructed by Danish sculptor, Thomas Dambo, were hidden throughout the greenery. From recycled pallet wood, lumber scraps, and roots from fallen trees he has created guardian spirits of seeds and protectors of plants: Roska of trunks, Lilja of flowers, Birk of roots, Soren of branches, and Gro of leaves.
“He uses his art to make people happy.”—Mark Rivera, artist and collaborator
The whimsical gentle giants are situated in appropriate spots scattered throughout the grounds. We walked a winding path surrounded by pastel azaleas and candelabra primula and met up with Lilja, sitting cross legged, eyes closed, meditating above a gentle waterfall. Into the woods was Birk, a bearded beauty sprawled on the forest floor. The sculptures are approachable and welcoming, magnificent creatures. Thomas Dambo has graced public spaces with his beings all across the globe from Chicago to China to Florida, Puerto Rico, and South Korea.
That Sunday we returned home. I pulled a lot of weeds and planted more greens for a couple days then headed to New York where I met up with six of my siblings and two in-laws at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. This time I knew of and eagerly awaited the artwork of Yayoi Kusama. The setting of the garden is fantastic by itself; 250 acres, including 50 acres of old growth forest; the stunning Enid Haupt Conservatory, a crystal palace built in 1902; the classically handsome Metz library building. The New York Botanical Garden is an institution dedicated to the research, protection, and preservation of flora from across the globe.
The art of Yayoi Kusama is a perfect fit for the NYBG. Her playful sculpture takes the natural world to another level, a phantasmagoria of polka dots, dancing pumpkins, and cosmic giggles. From the front gate you are greeted by a red cartoon flower set in a pool with ducks swimming around, then you step inside a room for a psychedelic treat called “Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity”, a series of mirrors and spotted pumpkins reflected on and on and on.
“I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland.”
As you stroll through the gardens, amazed by the superb specimens of trees, another Kusama piece appears, tree trunks wrapped in pink with white dots. Then, an allee of tulip trees leads to the library where a huge banner with black dots on a yellow background announces more work inside. Around a bend is the magnificent glass confection, the Haupt Conservatory, with Kusama’s “Dancing Pumpkin” out front, a stationary whirling dervish. The juxtaposition of the fantastical fruit in front of the fairytale greenhouse was a stroke of genius. The transmogrification continues along the long rectangular water lily pool with the beauty of floating blossoms complemented by giant spotted creations. I never felt that the artwork overpowered the natural beauty of the plants; it was a complementary relationship, a well curated show.
Coming home to my humble garden is always a relief. I appreciate the knowledge and effort and scale of massive botanical gardens and adored the combination of art and nature. But my little piece of the earth holds my heart. I came home to my first sweet pea blossom and the wild maiden pinks that I have been encouraging in the lawn are flourishing. I pick a fresh salad and rhubarb for dessert from the vegetable bed, followed by Thomas, my garden cat, and I am a happy soul.
“Our earth is only one polka dot among millions of others.” Yayoi Kusama
July 2021