Melissa Rannels

Cast concrete objects from Clade S (Solanum). A clade is a group of organisms descended from a common ancestor. Here, it’s a lineage of casts.

Companion lineageClade C (Cylindropuntia) at brutalistbotanicals.com
S-01, a smooth black concrete heirloom tomato with deep lobes, on a white background

S-01

Series
Clade S (Solanum)
Medium
Cast concrete
Year
2026

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S-01 resting on a stack of books on a wooden table
S-01 in situ
S-02, a black concrete heirloom tomato with deep pleats, seen from the side

S-02

Series
Clade S (Solanum)
Medium
Cast concrete
Year
2026

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About

Melissa Rannels makes sculptural works in pigmented black cast concrete. Fruitalist is her ongoing study of nightshades, including the tomato: soft, ribbed, heirloom forms rendered as heavy, enduring stone.

Close-up of a black cast concrete cholla with a stamped label reading CLADE C

Clade C

Cylindropuntia. Cast concrete studies of cholla cactus skeletons. A companion series to Clade S.

Visit Clade C at brutalistbotanicals.com