shen shaomin: bonsai series

chinese artist shen shaomin connects art, life and craft with mechanics in major installations that cover themes of war, futuristic crisis, scientific abomination and the manipulation of nature. his work uses chinese culture to comment on contemporary ecological issues, politics and technology.

shaomin’s ‘bonsai’ series (2007-2009), on show at the 17th biennale of sydney, uses the controlled nature of the traditional bonsai art form to comment on human despoliation of the environment. each ‘living installation’ is accompanied by a description with illustrations showing how each plant has been coerced, or tortured into bizarre configurations. shaomin’s ‘summit‘ is also on show at cockatoo island as part of the biennale.

image © designboom

image © designboom

wire cable, clamps, metal plates are used to ‘torture’ each bonsai tree into strange positions image © designboom

the components are adjustable and can be moved according to the plant’s growth image © designboom

one plant being pulled length-wise image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

up close of one of the mechanisms image © designboom

image © designboom

one of the plants being coerced to grow into an extreme curve image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

cage like structures on each of the mechanisms aid in controlling the direction in which the bonsai plants grow image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

the tools used to coerce and torture the plants into bizarre configurations image © designboom

the tools used to coerce and torture the plants into bizarre configurations image © designboom

the tools used to coerce and torture the plants into bizarre configurations image © designboom