2024
Reston Arboretum Plaza, Reston, Virginia
2024
Lobby of the Atlas Building
270 Johnston Avenue, Jersey City
Alpine Residentials
Root in Rosso Puro
Painted steel
2023
Installed at the Villa Morgagni, Rome, Italy
POISON IVY
Kreeger Museum Sculpture Garden, Permanent Collection
Washington, DC
2014
It was an honor to be asked by Judy Greenberg, the Director of the Kreeger Museum, to make an installation of my Roots on a tree in the sculpture garden for the permanent collection of the museum.
I have long been fascinated by the patterns of the roots of Poison Ivy. Their main artery is wide and thick in contrast to the thin and numerous lateral roots that come out of it, attach themselves to the tree bark and keep climbing.
This particular tree was my choice for quite a few reasons.
It is very well located and can be seen from many of the museum's balconies and windows. The tree is split so that my Root can fly in mid-air from one branch to the other. An important branch had already died and cut off, reminding us of its ephemeral nature. And last, but not least, I discovered remnants of dead Poison Ivy vines going up this tree that must have been cut down by the gardener.
My aim is to replace the dead Poison Ivy with a sculptural one made out of painted steel -- wishing, at the same time, to emphasize the beauty of the root while drawing attention to the danger of its position.
Castello Lanza di Trabia
Trabia, Sicily, Italy
2016
To view a video of the installation process, click here.
Artist Statement:
I have been working on a series of large-scale metal sculptures that symbolically represent the root systems of various plants. My sculptures are site-specific or site-responsive; at times, I work from the roots themselves, which I dug out of the earth; other times, I photograph, copy, or draw roots as the basis for my work.
When I was commissioned to address the Castello Lanza di Trabia in Sicily, Italy -- its outer walls, tower, and aqueduct, my primary goal was to respect and honor the significance and remnants of this historic castle. Once the site of tax collectors during the Roman Empire, then an Arab fortress from AD 827 -- in the last 800 years, the castle has belonged to the princely Lanza family.
As an American sculptor, I chose to bring the root system of a sweet potato plant to Castello Lanza. Depicting roots on the façade of the castle seemed an appropriate challenge, considering its varied history. I wanted to draw attention to the many architectural details of the space – the crossbow slits used to defend the castle, the bell-tower, and the aqueduct with its unique archways. My work is intended to glorify and highlight these details. By covering this great expanse with a system of thin tendrils of reflective gold, I wanted to produce a work that did not draw attention only to itself. Rather, I wanted to create an installation that allows contemporary time to converse with the past.
About Castello Lanza di Trabia
In Trabia, northern Sicily, situated on the coastal road between Palermo and Cefalù, stands Castello Lanza di Trabia. This architectural marvel has a rich and varied history that begins with General Aausman Ben Muhammad, who first established his fortress there in AD 827. In the 11th century, the castle was donated to Captain Conrad Lanza, whose descendants would keep the property for 900 years. In the 17th century, Ottavio Lanza made extensive changes to the fortress, which had maintained its stronghold as a site for major strategic military decisions. Prince Raimondo Lanza di Trabia (1915-1954), a bon vivant whose successes are something of Sicilian legend, was the last member of the Lanza family to live in the castle, entertaining such renowned figures as his one-time partner Rita Hayworth, and Aristotle Onassis.
The city of Trabia also has the unique distinction of being considered the first home of spaghetti. It is mentioned by name in the earliest written references to pasta in AD 1154, and this important culinary tradition survives there even today – adding to the allure of this scenic coastal town.
Now privately owned, Castello Lanza has undergone major renovations in the past five years and will soon be opened as an exclusive destination.
Nature Comes Back
Painted steel
2023
Installed at the Laghi Nabi Natural Oasis, Campania, Italy
A private commission in Givaat Ha Shlosha, Israel
2018
Venice, Italy, 2018
Sorrento, Italy, 2019
From Honoring the Future:
When Dalya Luttwak was invited to create a sculpture for the Venice Biennale, she asked, “How can I honor Venice?” Global Warning: First Tropical Mangrove in Venice is her profound, inspiring sculptural answer.
Mangroves do not grow in Venice, but they are potent symbols for their role in protecting coastal zones in warmer climes. Hardy and ingenuous, mangroves thrive where salt, temperature, and water levels vary with the tide. Their roots, like stilts, prop their breathing pores above muddy water. The roots work in concert, forming massive structures that disperse waves and trap sediment, protecting coastlines from hurricanes, tsunamis, and erosion. And they host a wide diversity of marine organisms – oysters, shrimp, and crabs – that support the coastal food chain.
“Mangroves are resilient because they are adapted to highly challenging environments,” observes Fran Dubrowski, Director of Honoring the Future. Dalya Luttwak’s sculpture is a metaphor for the challenge facing Venetians and their 500,000+ Biennale visitors. “Can we, like the mangroves, meet the test of our time – climate change – and respond as creatively and cooperatively? Her fire-engine red sculpture sounds a warning, but its soaring 10-foot height, set against Venice’s landmarks, expresses optimism that we are up to the task,” Dubrowski adds.
Sixth photo — Credit: Maxwell MacKenzie
Eighth photo — Credit: Antonino Fiorentino, Archivio Fondazione Sorrento
Palazzo Gargiulo
SyArt Gallery
Sorrento, Italy, 2019
Grapevine Before Pruning, steel and paint, 2017, 5m x 3m (15 ft x 10 ft)
2017
Permanent installation at I Pola vineyard in Cremolino Piemonte, Italy.
McGuireWoods Gallery, Workhouse Arts Center
Lorton, VA, 2013
In this work I try to depict and uncover the root system of Winter Wheat, in stages from ten days old to full maturity -- from its birth to full blossom; at the same time, the dying process is beginning.
Installed in 2018 on the grounds of the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Rhizophora Mangle (Mangrove) was originally installed in the Sawhill Gallery at James Madison University in 2010 as part of the exhibition, “Roots: the Hidden Half in Black and White.”
To see additional images from this installation, click here.
A sculpture carved from a block of salt for the Biennale Scultura di Salgemma at the Museo Arte Contemporanea SottoSale in Petralia Soprana, Sicily, Italy.
A contemporary art museum that resides underground inside an active salt mine, the Salgemma Sculpture Biennial invites artists to create works on-site, made entirely of salt excavated from the mine. This sculpture, Woman in Search of Light, is my contribution to the 2019 edition of the Biennale and is on permanent view at the Museum.
Work details:
Woman in Search of Light
Carved salt
146cm x 120cm x 140cm
(58" x 47" x 55" inches)
2019
