Hibiscus
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 39 x 28 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
Environment reflects memory | Time and space connection
Hibiscus is a common potted plant on street corners. It may seem ordinary, but it triggers memories of taking care of it in my childhood. It is a private interweaving of time and space that instantly pulls me out of my current environment and brings me back to the memories of my childhood when I started to grow hibiscus because I was learning how to press flowers.
This instantaneous feeling is a mirror image of time and space. Hibiscus grows in the current environment, but reflects personal life experience and emotional memory. "Hibiscus" is not only a faithful presentation of the plant itself, but also contains bits and pieces of personal childhood.
Kumquat
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 39 x 28 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
Memories of the festival | Sweet harmony
Kumquats are the most simple food in our family during the Chinese New Year. Grandma picks the fruits she grows herself and puts them in a candy bowl. The sweet taste of kumquats washes away the heavy feeling of the rich flavors during the Chinese New Year. The difference in taste brings a sense of comfort and memory, and it has become a family tradition during every festival.
Kumquat showcases the relationship between nature, memory and family. Its sweetness harmonizes with the bustling New Year festival and records the flow of time and emotions from a leisurely perspective.
Phoenix tail fern
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 39 x 28 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
Natural limitations and resources | Resilience in the gaps
The fern grows in the flat space of the wall, with its leaves emerging from the cracks, showing the power and changes of life in space. This light posture contrasts with the hard cement bricks on the wall, and her calmness suggests that even in a restrictive environment, the rhythm of life can still be maintained.
"Phoenix Tail Fern" focuses on the sense of power that emerges from the cracks. Everything in the environment is like a mirror, reflecting the limitations and resources of nature, allowing the viewer to reflect on the turbulence between them.
Gui
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 39 x 28 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
Low-key non-visual touch｜The existence of subtle breath
Osmanthus fragrans has auspicious meanings because its name is associated with "gui" (gui) and "noble". It is often seen in potted plants in our daily lives, which makes me feel a low-key familiarity with it. The small white flowers exude a refreshing fragrance, and the dark green matte leaves and straight branches are faintly smelled even if I can't see them. Its subtle and non-noisy presence in the environment often makes me smile knowingly.
Osmanthus is a kind of hidden beauty in the environment, slowing down the chaotic and noisy fast life by feeling the tiny details in life.
Red Milkweed
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 39 x 28 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
The resilience of life | Bright colors in the environment
Red milkweed grows tenaciously from the cracks in the cement of the parking lot. Even though it is crushed by car wheels, exposed to wind, sun and rain, it still survives brilliantly and blooms in this challenging environment. Its existence itself is a display of victory over adversity.
The existence of "red milkweed" is a mirror reflection between nature and life. Even in the most unfavorable environment, nature can still find a way to survive and fearlessly display its colorful vitality.
Leaf end
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 39 x 28 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
The beauty of life time｜Natural decay
The decaying green leaves next to the parking lot have a hint of red at the end. The contrasting visual effect attracted me. The gradient of color is very elegant. I realized that decay is not a simple linear end, but a cycle of life, suggesting the delicate balance between decay and growth in nature.
"Leaf End" captures the passage of time and inevitable change, the fleeting but profound beauty in the natural process of time, perceives the cycle of life, and understands the performance of time, change and existence.
Horseshoe Gold
Author: Chen Lifan
Year｜2024
Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 15 cm
Material｜Reinforced filament, copper wire, composite material
Balance in contradiction | Implications of objects
The Chinese Horseshoe, as a small potted plant standing in front of the parking garage, carries the task of reminding people not to park. Although it is used to maintain order, its cute, heart-shaped appearance forms a strong contrast with the intimidating red "Do Not Park" words, creating a contrasting mirror image between the object's suggestion and function.
From the perspective of "one scene, one mirror", potted plants are functional existences that imply the boundaries of private space. However, the green potted plants stand guard with a soft posture, reflecting the ordinary things in the environment, which contain subtle tension and social functional implications.