untitled (tree), Xu Bing; Sophia Gakii

Exhibition Label:
"Trees & Other Ramifications: Branches in Nature & Culture," Mar-2009, Steve Goddard
Artist Xu Bing’s (Chinese, born 1955) Forest Project website (www.forestproject.net) explains, “Through art, culture, education, the involvement of local folks, and the internet, Xu Bing’s Forest Project creates a system to facilitate the automatic and uninterrupted flow of funds from developed countries to Kenya, earmarked for the planting of new trees.” This has been put into motion through the artist’s collaboration with school-children in Kenya, whose drawings of trees are offered for sale through the internet, with all proceeds going back to Kenya to support specific ecological initiatives. Sophia Gakii’s drawing includes a full life cycle, from a group of seedlings to a mature and well-rooted tree that has fully leafed out and bears fruit, pointing to the next generation.