Discover the art and sculpture behind bonsai trees at Elvis Presley’s former home in LA

The art of bonsai – literally, ‘tray planting’ – goes back thousands of years. Originating in China, becoming tradition in Japan, it only achieved worldwide recognition in the last few decades. The dwarfed, meticulously cared-for trees must be trimmed, styled, and repotted, though custom calls for masking the artist’s hand. It’s a process that, as the name suggests, depends heavily on the vessel.
Casa Perfect, the home-as-showroom LA offshoot of the Future Perfect, invited ceramicist Jonathan Cross and Bonsai Mirai’s Ryan Neil to unveil a collaboration of ceramic and living sculpture. Casa’s latest location, a former home of Elvis Presley with panoramic views, combines the residential and the worldly, offering an ideal environment for the paradoxes of bonsai itself.
The one-of-a-kind pieces pieces meld contemporary stoneware with bonsai that have been years-in-the-making, combining materials like stone and steel with juniper, aloe, and cypress. Cross’ work, collected at the National Bonsai Museum in Washington D.C., makes use of the ancient wood-firing process, giving his vessels the look of relics. Neil’s Portland-based Bonsai Mirai departs from Japanese tradition, taking cues from Western art history such as contrapposto figures and Italian Renaissance paintings. The results are elongated, exaggerated forms that can appear to be falling, writhing, or stretching upwards.
Desert Study Sandstone by Jonathan Cross and Ryan Neil
‘Bonsai has always been interesting to me, the meditative quality to the craft and staggering sense of artistry,’ David Alhadeff, founder of The Future Perfect, said of the collaboration. ‘There is a really exciting energy between the two artists and it led to something that’s a wonderful reflection of the kind of experimentation that Casa Perfect was developed for.’
The pieces appear both within in the house and in the ample backyard space– eliding the indoor and outdoor of the single-floor, Hollywood Regency-style home. The pieces from the show will be exclusively available through The Future Perfect.
‘It’s all about expanding and challenging traditional ways of thinking about design,’ said Alhadeff, adding the works ‘take both artists into new territory’– a fitting new project for the still-roving space.
Find out more about The Future Perfect’s LA space here
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
’Beverly Hills Bonsai: Jonathan Cross x Ryan Neil’ is on view by appointment only. For more information, visit the website
-
Serious cyclists now have serious options, courtesy of two new models from Canyon
With two new bikes, the Endurace: ONfly e-bike and Endurance: AllRoad, Canyon is innovating with both price and performance
-
New members’ club Beihouse revives Beirut’s architectural heritage
Following the devastating 2020 explosion, three 19th-century homes in Gemmayzeh become a social hub balancing cultural memory with contemporary luxury
-
Aman New York unveils exclusive US Open-themed experience
Aman’s ‘Season of Champions’ pairs Grand Slam action with personalised recovery and performance treatments designed by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova
-
‘100 Years, 60 Designers, 1 Future’: 1882 Ltd plate auction supports ceramic craft
The ceramics brand’s founder Emily Johnson asked 60 artists, designers, musicians and architects – from John Pawson to Robbie Williams – to design plates, which will be auctioned to fund the next generation of craftspeople
-
The animals came in two by two, hurrah!
Jonathan Baldock’s ‘WYRD’ menagerie takes up residence at Scotland’s Jupiter Artland for the summer
-
Basic.Space launches its first IRL shopping event – in an empty West Hollywood mall
With the launch of its first in-person event in LA this weekend, the e-commerce platform is looking to bring collectible design to a whole new audience
-
Design Miami 2024 is alive with possibility: here are 14 things to see
Design Miami 2024 opens 4-8 December – let Wallpaper* guide you to the highlights, from dazzling installations to plump sofas and anthropomorphic sculptures
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York
‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
-
Mudlarking beside the River Thames inspires The New Craftsmen’s makers
London Design Festival 2022: The New Craftsmen’s new collection, ‘Claylarks’, features work from a group of creatives inspired by a River Thames mudlarking expedition
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartment
Boffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden Age
Design Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design