BOUND BY GROWTH - THE PULSE OF NATURE
In Gu Fanqi’s Growth series, the texture of materials becomes a crucial vehicle for conceptual expression. Through a process of plastification and shaping, the artist transforms soft, shapeless textile fibers into rigid, self-supporting structures. This act of material translation creates a dissonance between visual and tactile perception. At first glance, viewers are drawn
to the intricate, interwoven forms, mistaking them for the pliable softness of fabric. Yet upon closer inspection—or touch—they discover that these forms have become hard and
unyielding, mirroring the botanical process through which climbing vines gradually lignify as they grow and attach themselves.
The notion of “growth” in this series does not suggest the chaotic proliferation of nature, but rather a restructured order—stability and internal tension revealed through material reformation. This “haptic paradox” introduces a subtle uncertainty, intensifying the perceptual tension within the works. By defying the viewer’s assumptions about fabric’s inherent softness, the plastified surfaces disrupt the conventional sensory experience, prompting a reevaluation of material qualities and their symbolic implications.
This material experiment not only extends the logic of natural growth from the supple state of new life to a stable, supportive form but also resonates with the concept of form shaped by time in the natural world. Just as plants harden over time in response to their environments, adapting to new modes of existence, Gu Fanqi’s works recreate this dynamic process through artificial means，embedding temporality as an intrinsic dimension of the pieces
Photographer：Sun MengChen
Text writing：yi yi
The notion of “growth” in this series does not suggest the chaotic proliferation of nature, but rather a restructured order—stability and internal tension revealed through material reformation. This “haptic paradox” introduces a subtle uncertainty, intensifying the perceptual tension within the works. By defying the viewer’s assumptions about fabric’s inherent softness, the plastified surfaces disrupt the conventional sensory experience, prompting a reevaluation of material qualities and their symbolic implications.
This material experiment not only extends the logic of natural growth from the supple state of new life to a stable, supportive form but also resonates with the concept of form shaped by time in the natural world. Just as plants harden over time in response to their environments, adapting to new modes of existence, Gu Fanqi’s works recreate this dynamic process through artificial means，embedding temporality as an intrinsic dimension of the pieces
Photographer：Sun MengChen