Vincent Pocsik at Nazarian / Curcio

At Nazarian / Curcio, cactuses sprout into strawberries and sunflowers bend gracefully around beer cans. These surreal gestures are part of Vincent Pocsik’s exhibition Could Be Gardens, an exhibition of wooden sculptural works, each an organic form that blends the natural world with the manmade in surprising and satisfying ways. To carve objects in wood is a laborious process, and material energy comes through these works, asking us to slow down.

Central to the show is “Bench with Lemons Hands and Ears,” a functional bench aptly described by its title. Given a tufted yellow upholstered seat (with small metal lemons subbing in as buttons), the bench is supported at each end with wooden arms, their hands reaching upward as if waiting to hold a would-be bench sitter. The functionality of this work feels integral to the exhibition — as if inviting the viewer in to imagine themselves within the world that Poscik is creating. In “Two Gerberas with Hands,” delicately carved flower stems curl in graceful arcs before terminating in a pair of hands — suggesting a deep interconnection between people and nature. Poscik’s wooden creations envision a world where humanity and nature are not at odds but coexist in a symbiotic partnership.

Photo: Vincent Pocsik, Could be Gardens, installation view, Nazarian / Curcio. Image courtesy of the artist and Nazarian / Curcio.