“Artificial Edens” – Plein Air at the End of the World

What happens when an outdoor painting group swaps sketching in a leafy glade for drawing the artificial plants in IKEA? The answer – they discover something unexpected.

Scroll down ⬇️ to purchase art created during the @ikearesidency

Day One in IKEA’s Fake Plants Department:

My outdoor painting community meets every Friday to draw outside in Los Angeles’ beautiful Griffith Park. For the @ikearesidency, the group was kind enough to turn their eyes on the sensory overwhelm of IKEA’s plastic plant department. For 2 hours we perched on planters under the unchanging light and drew the strangely seductive artificial plant forms around us.

“Testing the boundaries of the three-story, 22-acre site is Ikea Residency, an unofficial (and unsanctioned) collective of artists, writers and makers in Los Angeles. The DIY set belongs to a growing creative scene remaking the disappearing “third space” — neither home nor work but somewhere in between — in their own image. They’re hungry for collaboration, creative breakthroughs and, sure, maybe some meatballs.”

– BY MARIELLA RUDI, Los Angeles Times

At first glance, the plants seem wonderful. They tease the eyes like a high fructose version of the real thing. The forms capture the idea of a plant just enough to be satisfying – perhaps just long enough for one to be tossed into your shopping cart.

After drawing for a while we began to discuss how we had failed to capture the plants’ fakeness.

Our drawings had made them somehow more real, more natural. We debated a return visit. IKEA began to feel like a spaceship we were trapped in – an artificial environment where everything is only an echo of something real. We ate in the cafe with its beautiful view of Griffith Park and we felt sad not to be under the real trees.

Day Two, and a Realisation:

A week later, we returned.

We began our day drinking free @ikeafamily tea and coffee and discussing how to respond to the strangely seductive fakery. Last session we experienced overwhelm: so much color, so many different forms that are almost, but not quite, wonderful, everything just a disconcerting echo of something we would love if it were real.

We were bolder this time. We spread our supplies out on the shelves and display surfaces and started to draw and paint. Only two curious people asked us what we were doing.

This time our drawings seemed to engage more with the attractiveness of the fake garden. I think we let go of judging it. Maybe we surrendered to it?

We settled into our new reality – a group of plein air painters drawing artificial plants. We realized that the act of drawing was the authentic act. I think there will still be flower paintings at the end of the world and they will feel more real than the simulacra that inspire them.

Artists Infiltrate LA IKEA in Guerrilla “Residency”

Mary Boo Anderson and Zoë Blair-Schlagenhauf started the unofficial program to “capitalize on this mecca of capitalism for more creative, authentic pursuits.”

– Matt Stromberg HYPERALLERGIC, July 23, 2023

Collect Real Art Inspired by Fake Plants – Only $19.99

To purchase, transfer $19.99 to this Venmo link, or email your request to Amanda. Make sure to add your chosen artwork’s title in the comment. All artworks are ready-to-display on IKEA MÅLA decorative-framed drawing boards.

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