Let it Grow
2023

Steel, the woods.
长
2023年

钢、森林






What does it mean to grow? Do objects have life? Is metal a natural element or artificial material? This early sculptural work serves as an origin point in my practice, tracing a thread through the cycles of life, the natural environment, and memory.

A giant lotus root slice, formed from two sheets of steel, rests within nature. Placed against a tree, it recalls Giuseppe Penone of the Arte Povera movement; set upon a rock, it lends support to a sprouting plant. Here, the boundaries between nature and artifice dissolve in the larger continuum of life. Growth is revealed through change: of color, size, texture, scent, and more. By situating a lotus root slice among trees and rocks, the work invites reflection on how the natural environment responds to an artificial form, and how natural forces, in turn, transform manmade material.









© 2025 Annie Yuan Zhuang