Lake Tai 太湖
Lake Tai 太湖
Famous for its "Taihu stones," the iconic, twisted stones of Chinese gardens, the lake became a symbol of ecological catastrophe in the 1990s, when industrial and agricultural runoff triggered massive blooms of toxic algae. More recently, remediation efforts undertaken at a grand scale have largely cleared the waters.
Installed in the former mansion of a turn-of-the-century industrialist--whose businesses operated between Lake Tai and Shanghai--the show reimagines traditional Chinese arts of the home. Flower arrangement, garden design, and garden stones are reshaped for an age of ecological disruption.
Many of the works are made from organic wastes sourced from Lake Tai. In this way, the creation of the works is continuous with lake remediation. The sculptures sequester organic wastes outside the chemical cycles of the lake.
Taihu (Stones), 2022. Organic wastes, resin. Installation view.
Lake Tai was shown at Prada Rong Zhai in Shanghai, November 10, 2022 - January 8, 2023. Organized with the support of Fondazione Prada.
