Mesa 2007

Herman de Vries created ‘Mesa’ using found objects. These materials, sourced directly from the earth, range from clay pots and worked wood to unadorned stones, bones, and minerals. The arrangement of these objects influences how we read them. Set on a plain white cloth, these objects appear as if they are specimens in a museum collection. Yet the variety of objects, alongside their organic materiality, also evoke a connection to the earth. The work’s title, ‘Mesa’, refers to a flat-topped land formation, a geological feature shaped by natural processes over vast stretches of time. This gives the work a symbolic dimension, suggesting a world of meaning embedded in the simplest things. By presenting natural materials in such a deliberate way, de Vries asks us to reconsider our relationship with the environment. This reminds us that the division between art and the everyday is a human construct.