‘Farmacy’ artwork has the Rx for poor diet

Gallery façade grows on you

BY LILY BOUVIER  |  With “xClinic Farmacy,” Postmasters Gallery has transformed its façade into part art, part science and part social project. “Artist, engineer, activist, experimenter extraordinaire” Natalie Jeremijenko has constructed a vertical garden made of hanging rows of soil-filled Tyvek “AgBags.” Out of slits in this white and red industrial-quality material spring vivacious sprigs of green produce and brightly colored flowers.

The goal of the show is to get urban residents to start thinking about (and doing!) farming. With Jeremijenko’s design, all a city dweller needs in order to start growing food at home is an empty railing and a double-hung window (or parapet) on which to hang the AgBags. The unique material keeps in water while allowing air circulation, and it’s strong enough to hold a veggie garden in mid-air outside your apartment.

Still, the gesture is a symbolic one. While some nearby residents have already caught on, the bags are expensive (buy one from Postmasters for about $300), and can only hold a limited amount of plant life. Nonetheless, the “xClinic Farmacy” is challenging perceptions of how local “local” can really be. You can find Jeremijenko at the Union Square Greenmarket this summer — where she intends to share her vision of sustainable urban living by selling produce grown at Postmasters Gallery (459 West 19th St., at 10th Ave.). The gallery façade can be seen through August. Gallery hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm. Call 212-727-3323 or visit postmastersart.com. For more info on Jeremijenko’s design, visit environmentalhealthclinic.net/farmacy.