Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla have developed an experimental and innovative practice that addresses the entanglements between history, ecology, and geopolitics. The duo, active since 1995, employs diverse artistic media, including performance, sculpture, sound, video, photography, and painting.
In the south ramp of the Pista 500, Allora & Calzadilla presents Graft (Phantom Tree), an installation featuring suspended cast blossoms from the roble Amarillo tree, an oak species native to the Caribbean. These recycled plastic flowers are arranged to form the shape of a tree but without a trunk, leaves, or branches, prompting questions about their lost origins.
The Caribbean is home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity, yet it has experienced significant losses that began during the colonial period and continue to this day. Graft (Phantom Tree) expresses the delicate and paradoxical beauty of post-colonial life forms while reflecting on the ongoing transformations within global ecosystems caused by resource exploitation and climate change.
The installation's title references grafting, a technique used to join plants from different species, and "ghost trees"—trees that have been removed or never grew due to aggressive deforestation. As a fitting extension of the roof garden on the Pista 500, Graft (Phantom Tree) appears to bloom majestically in the industrial ramp's expansive void, enhancing the sense of estrangement.