Cecilia Vicuña (Chilean, b. 1948) Tres elementos (Precarios), 2014 mixed media, 6.875 x 5.75 x 0.25 in (17.5 x 14.6 x 0.6 cm) Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, and Seoul

The unique oeuvre of Cecilia Vicuña is grounded in her understanding that the political, environmental and indigenous are inherently connected and must be addressed as such. In her vision, the object is merely the tangible manifestation of our will to return to being one with nature. Her precarios (1966-present), tiny arrangements of natural and man-made materials such as driftwood, feathers, yarn, or wires, combine ritual and assemblage. According to the artist, they belong to the oceans from which many of their parts were collected and will not be fully complete until they return to the sea.