REALITY |Potted Plants

2014-02-24 05:32ChenXiaofeng
China Pictorial 2014年1期

Chen+Xiaofeng

Public and private spaces alike frequently feature greenery transplanted from its natural habitat. Both animals and plants are indispensable pieces of nature, and as the animal with an elevated consciousness, mankind has maintained an intimacy with its green cousins – although not everyone properly recognizes the relationship. Humans enjoy capitalizing on the benefits of plants, but they often fail to appreciate plants all around them. In particular, the usage of artificial plants embodies mankinds utilitarianism – obtain visual and mental comfort for the lowest cost.

Nature With Us

Chen Xiaofengs photography highlights nature in the form of plants that have been placed in living and working environments. Symbolic of the natural world from whence they hail, potted plants have even developed cultural connotations. Their existence evidences a distorted relationship between nature and culture. Chens work endeavors to reveal how nature becomes culture.