'Woven Together' exhibit in Palm Springs honors Argentine artist's late brother

The desert is a healing place for many, including Argentine artist Marcelo Bengoechea. Being surrounded by all the "majestic" plants of Joshua Tree National Park, in particular, brings a sense of calmness to him and a deeper connection to his brother, Fernando.

More than two decades ago, Fernando ventured into the national park, a place he loved to hike and meditate in. He spoke with a park ranger, who told him the Joshua trees were slowly dying due to pollution and lack of water.

That inspired his brother, Marcelo said, to take photos of the unusual-looking tall plants as a way to "memorialize these beautiful things as a sign of resilience." Fernando later incorporated textured looks in his Joshua tree series through woven photography, which requires taking two identical prints and hand weaving them together to create one image. He called the series "Karma Tree."

Fernando tragically died in 2004, but Marcelo could not let his art die with him. He fully committed to preserving his brother's work in 2019 by hand weaving Fernando's photos and sharing them with art enthusiasts around the world.

The Coachella Valley will host the brothers' art in a new exhibit, "Woven Together," which will open with a reception 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at lifestyle store Super Simple. The exhibit includes eight woven photographs of Fernando's "Karma Tree" series (including one completed by Fernando prior to his death) as well as other woven pieces. All artwork will be on sale, and the exhibit will remain in the store for 30 days.

Larger than life

Marcelo, 59, has experienced a multitude of changes and phases in life, not just since Fernando's death.

The Argentine dreamed of making it to the Olympics for track and field, but later honed in on his creative skills as a designer and art director. He was able to combine his love of surfing/the outdoors and business together in a number of jobs, before he ultimately created his own e-commerce business and lead a few others.

His brother, Fernando, showed his creative side early in life. He was born in 1965 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the family relocated to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he was 13. That cultural shift inspired Fernando to be eternally curious about the world around him. He moved to São Paulo, Brazil, to study photography and cinematography, and later relocated to New York in 1988 to further pursue his passion through education.

Marcelo said he and his brother worked on a number of projects together and shared many traits, particularly their sense of humor and sarcasm.

"We were very, very mischievous together," he said with a laugh. "We had our share of fun, and I wouldn't say I'm completely proud of those fun times ... but we were young and dumb."

The more Fernando worked on his craft, the more attention it gained. His photography was widely published in publications such as Town & Country, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and New York Magazine. He traveled around the world as well, and his works, like "Karma Tree," were exhibited in Paris, Milan, Venice, New York and Chicago.

Fernando was "at the peak of his life," Marcelo said. When he was vacationing in Sri Lanka with his partner, Nate Berkus, in December 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra island, Indonesia. It triggered a massive tsunami that hit many countries, and Fernando, 39, was among the nearly 230,000 causalities from the natural disaster. Fernando's body was never found, while Berkus survived.

"It felt unfair that a person so wonderful, so charismatic, with so much talent and a bright future ahead of him is no longer with us," Marcelo said. He added that only something as big as a tsunami could have taken his brother because he "lived life to its fullest every single moment."

Writing about his partner in his book, "The Things That Matter," Berkus wrote, "When you met Fernando, you knew you were among one of the strongest, most purposeful and persistent people you'd ever meet — that he was here to accomplish what he set out to accomplish … He set the bar extremely high for people but never any higher than it was set for himself … I know that the memories I have of making a home and feeling at home with another human being — that is all part of Fernando's legacy."

It took Marcelo a long time to accept his brother's death. There was always a thought in his mind that his brother may have survived the tsunami and was living out his days on an island, "super happy and saying, 'Ha ha, screw the world, I'm free!'" Accepting Fernando's death was a healing experience, but he later realized his art didn't have to die with him.

"Who is the best person to (continue it)? It was me," he said.

'Perfectly imperfect'

Marcelo doesn't exactly remember when Fernando began weaving photographs together, but he noticed an evolution in his art over time.

At first, his brother would take a series of photos and create a collage, giving them a three-dimensional look. Later on, Bengoechea said Fernando was fascinated with crafts from ancient cultures, and woven items were a part of people's day-to-day lives, whether it was baskets, rugs or wall coverings.

"He felt (weaving) was a global, simplistic craft that everybody had," Bengoechea said. "Fernando, being a very global citizen where he felt connected with every single person in the world, no matter where you come from or hierarchy or income level, that sensation that he could be part of everybody basically was very satisfying to him."

Fernando did a few small versions of woven photographs, until he tackled larger-scale projects like the Karma Tree series. Marcelo said the works are "impressive" and that he's "still mesmerized by them" when he finishes one.

It took Marcelo about 10 years to fully master the art himself. He had to remember the way his brother worked with the thin photo strands, and he had to improvise a bit, particularly when it came to figuring out all the little tricks with the craft. Now, it's easy to get lost in the work.

"Weaving, to me, is a meditation," he said. "As I go up and down, I really get into it, and sometimes hours can go by and I just say, 'Woah, what happened?'" He added that his brother's art has allowed him to come out of his shell and heal the last several years, particularly after experiencing depression.

When he works on a piece, he tries to align all of the strands perfectly together, but sometimes he misses a few along the way. "You don't notice until they're done, and then it's part of the art," he said. He equates the whole process to life: the ups and downs people face on a constant basis, the fact that "not everything aligns" and that life is "perfectly imperfect." Even if it has some flaws, when one steps back and views the whole image, they'll still see a masterpiece.

It's in these moments, too, that he can feel his brother's energy "pass through my hands." When he has several photographs to weave at a time, he feels Fernando's presence even more, and he said it's gratifying because it feels "like he's looking over my shoulder to make sure I'm doing it right." He even has an old photo of Fernando, looking down from a balcony, that he displays when he's cutting or weaving.

His and his brother's art styles differ as well, which people will be able to see at the Palm Springs exhibit. While Marcelo cuts his strips in thicker, unisize strands, Fernando's "Karma Tree #8" has thinner ones, although not all match in thickness. It would take about a month to complete the tightly, thinly woven piece that his brother did, Marcelo said, while it usually takes him about a week to complete one of his own.

As Marcelo started to dedicate more time to Fernando's work, he also began to feel like he was "stealing something from him." It took some time for him to come to realize that he's not stealing, but rather "continuing, preserving and evolving" his brother's artwork, he said.

"I believe that he'll be very proud of that," Marcelo said.

'Woven together through love'

Marcelo began setting up his "Woven Together" exhibit at Super Simple on Wednesday. While several people helped carry in his big and small framed pieces, he carefully brought in Fernando's "Karma Tree #8" piece.

Enclosed in a walnut-colored frame, the woven photograph of a Joshua tree is more than 20 years old. That passage of time can be seen as some parts have more wear and tear than others. Marcelo added that, over time, the strands warp, move and settle in different ways, often depending on humidity, almost as if the piece has taken a life of its own. It might even be Fernando putting on the final touches so many years later.

Super Simple's white walls will be filled with the eight "Karma Tree" works, as well as two pieces from Fernando's "Bust" series and three other selected images. The lifestyle store was selected because it matched the late artist's clean aesthetics perfectly, Bengoechea said.

After the Palm Springs exhibit wraps up in March, Marcelo said he's in early talks to bring his artwork to San Francisco and other cities in the United States. But right now, he's focused on people remembering Fernando's life and art and being touched by the two brothers' collaboration. Hopefully they'll also be inspired to enjoy all aspects of their lives, despite the many ups and downs.

"We're all woven together through love," Bengoechea said. "It's a positive message that I want Fernando's art to convey."

If you go

What: "Woven Together" exhibit

When: 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 (opening reception); exhibit on display through March 18

Where: Super Simple, 800 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs

How much: Free opening reception and exhibit, artwork for sale

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'Woven Together' exhibit in Palm Springs honors artist's late brother