New York-based artist Kathleen Ryan gathers inspiration for her oversized sculptures from natural sources: orchards, vineyards, and mineral mines below the earth’s crust. Ryan portrays the mouldy substances through precious and semi-precious gemstones like amethyst, quartz, and marble. The materials’ durability and longevity directly contrast the decay they represent. Speaking about her work, ‘They’re not just opulent, there’s an inherent sense of decline built into them,” she says, “which is also something that’s happening in the world: The economy is inflating, but so is wealth inequality, all at the expense of the environment.”