Álvaro Urbano Honors the Lost Specimens of Mexico City’s Iconic Casa Cueva — Colossal

Nested in a natural lava cave in Mexico City’s Pedregal de San Ángel region, a sprawling, mosaic-laden domicile was once home to Juan and Helen Fowler O’Gorman, an architect and artist, respectively. The pair designed the icon of modernist Mexican architecture, called Casa Cueva, in 1954, although it was largely destroyed after the couple sold the home in 1969.

At Museo Jumex, Álvaro Urbano presents an homage to the innovations of Casa Cueva, drawing on its gardens and the legacy that Helen left behind, particularly through her 1961 book titled Mexican Flowering Trees and Plants. Written and illustrated while she lived at Casa Cueva, the rich volume documented a variety of the region’s native specimens. For Urbano, these vegetal renderings became the basis of a new body of metal sculptures.

The artist’s solo exhibition, Helen, suspends his signature painted plants in a delicate arrangement. Floating against a diaphanous curtain, the lifelike sculptures appear almost as apparitions, hovering in mid-air to guide viewers through the dreamy space.

Each specimen is based off of one that appeared in Helen’s book, and a site-specific installation reveals variegated stone amid a floor of square pavers. Like Casa Cueva, the exhibition unfolds organically, creating a continual dialogue between space, plants, and those able to witness both.

Helen is on view through February 7. Explore more of Urbano’s work on Instagram