Tea bags fill Yonkers bank vault

Hundreds of tea bags now line the walls of ArtsWestchester’s historic bank vault in Yonkers. The installation, titled Pericón: A Cure for All Ailments, fills the space with the scent of anise. The work replaces traditional financial assets with aromatic herbs. It transforms a room designed to hold wealth into a space for sensory experience.

The tea bags contain Pericón, an aromatic herb native to Central America. The plant has a sweet, anise-like smell. It is traditionally used as a natural dye and a remedy for nausea. It also serves as a general relaxant. The artist envelops the chamber in this traditional medicinal herb.

Josué Morales Urbina created the piece for the Janet Langsam Vault Project. He is an award-winning installation and sculpture artist. His work explores transcultural displacement and the impermanence of memory. He was born in Guatemala City. He has lived across the United States as a third culture kid. He describes his art practice as his home.

Visitors are invited to remove their shoes and enter the installation barefoot. The space functions as a multisensory environment. People experience the work through touch, smell, and movement. The fragrant canopy forms an intimate sanctuary within the vault.

The installation raises questions about what forms of knowledge deserve protection. The vault is a space designed to safeguard value. Urbina places ancestral botanical wisdom inside this secure room. The work invites viewers to consider wellness and spirituality.

ArtsWestchester provides funding for the Janet Langsam Vault Project. The initiative supports visionary artists who experiment in the space. It engages with important topics in the community. Janet Langsam notes that vaults traditionally hold objects of high value. She states that the project aims to elevate the intrinsic value of the arts beyond the marketplace.

Morales Urbina is an alum of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He has completed residencies at several institutions. These include the Vermont Studio Center and the Textile Arts Center. He has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally. His career includes numerous accomplishments in the field.

An activation and artist talk will take place on Sunday, November 8, at 3 PM. The event includes a tea party. Morales Urbina will discuss the installation with attendees. The exhibition continues to draw from Guatemalan traditions surrounding healing plants.