This work was displayed in Benjy Russell's solo show, You’re on new bridges made of home (you found the light in a dark poem) on Level Three: The Theory of Next, presented by Wilder.

"Another (altar) is an abstracted floral arrangement, hovering over what is said to be one of four energy vortexes in Sedona, Arizona. The bright and vivid colors of the flowers are a phantasmagorical apparition not at all at home when set against the ancient rock formations of the high desert. An impossibility of flora and Terra, the sculpture is intended to channel healing energy for global meditation on retrospection and in turn introspection."

Using a combination of studio lights and natural daylight, the floral sculpture (created by Maurice Harris of Bloom and Plume in Los Angeles) was photographed on site in Sedona, Arizona. The intention of the sculpture was to mimic the heart; with it's arteries and veins channeling and oxygenating blood efficiently throughout the body. This singular muscle is the signifier of life for this vessel. When this muscle ceases to function, the body ceases to regenerate cells and the vessel decomposes to be reincorporated into the ecosystem.

Benjy Russell grew up in rural Oklahoma, and currently resides in rural Tennessee. As a gay man in the rural South, he lives among a thriving and diverse community of queer and trans people who vision the new world together. The friendships that form this community are important not only as subject matter, but also as inspiration and source material — much of his work was created in collaboration with these artists.

Russell is compelled by the conversation that happens at the intersection of philosophy, science and art, a way to see the world prismatically and to unlearn harmful, antiquated social structures. He often looks to science fiction as a model for shaping reality, believing that by creating a fictionalized, ideal version of the future, we take the first step toward its existence.

Most of Russell’s work utilizes in-camera effects, using sculpture, studio lights and mirrors to allude to magical realism. By creating a physical moment of impossibility, he hopes to hold it up to the rest of the world and show what else might be possible.

This work was displayed in Benjy Russell's solo show, You’re on new bridges made of home (you found the light in a dark poem) on Level Three: The Theory of Next, presented by Wilder.

"Another (altar) is an abstracted floral arrangement, hovering over what is said to be one of four energy vortexes in Sedona, Arizona. The bright and vivid colors of the flowers are a phantasmagorical apparition not at all at home when set against the ancient rock formations of the high desert. An impossibility of flora and Terra, the sculpture is intended to channel healing energy for global meditation on retrospection and in turn introspection."

Using a combination of studio lights and natural daylight, the floral sculpture (created by Maurice Harris of Bloom and Plume in Los Angeles) was photographed on site in Sedona, Arizona. The intention of the sculpture was to mimic the heart; with it's arteries and veins channeling and oxygenating blood efficiently throughout the body. This singular muscle is the signifier of life for this vessel. When this muscle ceases to function, the body ceases to regenerate cells and the vessel decomposes to be reincorporated into the ecosystem.

Benjy Russell grew up in rural Oklahoma, and currently resides in rural Tennessee. As a gay man in the rural South, he lives among a thriving and diverse community of queer and trans people who vision the new world together. The friendships that form this community are important not only as subject matter, but also as inspiration and source material — much of his work was created in collaboration with these artists.

Russell is compelled by the conversation that happens at the intersection of philosophy, science and art, a way to see the world prismatically and to unlearn harmful, antiquated social structures. He often looks to science fiction as a model for shaping reality, believing that by creating a fictionalized, ideal version of the future, we take the first step toward its existence.

Most of Russell’s work utilizes in-camera effects, using sculpture, studio lights and mirrors to allude to magical realism. By creating a physical moment of impossibility, he hopes to hold it up to the rest of the world and show what else might be possible.