Petah Coyne’s Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees)

In April, the Akron Art Museum will unveil an exciting new installation: Petah Coyne’s Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees), on loan from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The work will be displayed in the Natural World gallery, which features artwork that prompts consideration of the ever-changing relationship between humans and nature. This sculpture—which includes taxidermized white and silver peacocks and preserved apple trees—resonates with the historic and contemporary art on view, and sparks conversations about how artists use the natural world for both inspiration and raw materials.

Untitled #1383 (Sisters –Two Trees) looks like only one tree, but it was actually created from the trunks and limbs of two apple trees that were due to be removed from an orchard after reaching the end of their productive life spans. The pair were growing next to each other, and when the artist harvested them their roots were so intertwined that they felt like sisters trying to cling together. Although now living in New York, the artist spent some formative time in Ohio, and has stated that her trees are conceptually tied to the landscape in Ohio and the annual lifecycle of trees here.

Coyne’s artistic practice involves multi-year processes for each sculptural installation. In this instance the sourcing, uprooting and drying out the trees took almost a decade. Her creative process also includes sustainability practices and community relationships that she has fostered, from working with orchard owners to identify trees that are at the end of their life cycles to using ethically sourced peacock bodies. The peacocks (the males of the peafowl species) used by Coyne come from a network of peacock pet owners. When the animals die of natural causes at the end of their lifespans (around 20 years in captivity) the bodies are taxidermized and used for these artworks. This installation includes seventeen birds, a mix of white and silver pied peacocks. The iconic shape and coloring of peacocks have given them metaphorical and spiritual resonance in numerous different cultures. In the Catholic faith, for example, peacocks are said to know when souls are ready to ascend to heaven and are allowed to roam free in cemeteries.

Bringing this large sculptural installation to the museum was also not a small endeavor and will involve complicated logistical arrangements. The crates for this artwork fill two semi-trailers, and the installation will be completed by seven art handlers, under the supervision of Akron Art Museum curatorial staff, in addition to the artist and her assistant. The steel plate that will anchor the tree to the floor weighs 700 hundred pounds and requires a forklift to place. We are thankful for the support from Art Bridges to bring this fantastic installation to Akron so that visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy this new artwork for a full year.