Discarded, displaced materials scavenged from Chile, New York City and the deteriorating coast of Louisiana are the components of Cecilia Vicuña’s captivating precario sculptures. Despite being made of rubbish the precario sculptures are hauntingly beautiful. This vast body of work varies in scale and has been developing for more than four decades. Many of the earlier pieces in this series no longer exist — living only in the memories of those who saw the work. The fact that they are not well documented adds to their precarious nature. This particular exhibition, About to Happen, was held at the Henry Museum at the University of Washington in 2019 and was Vicuña’s first major showing in the United States.
The image above is a portion of a small sculpture the size of your hand, suspended from the ceiling with clear filament. Vicuña believes her work speaks to the insecurity of people and the collapse of our landscapes in this time of global climate change. The Chilean-born artist has a unique vision, and her work is not restricted to a single media, expression or discipline. She has published more than 20 books; she is also a poet, visual artist, filmmaker and performs internationally. We all feel anxious when we are impacted by conditions beyond our immediate control; however, Vicuña’s work gives me hope that we can find and fashion something beautiful from what remains.