ART BASEL 2017:
TREE OF LIFE

Art Basel 2017: Tree of Life

 
In celebration of the 2017 Art Basel festival in Miami Beach, Kwong revitalized the Faena Hotel’s iconic Clusia rosea tree, which suffered damage in the wake of Hurricane Irma’s devastation, with a site-specific botanical installation titled ‘Tree of Life’ commissioned by St-Germain.

Trees are considered bridges that connect the heavens to the mortal, earthly realm in cultures ranging from the Maya to the Japanese. The piece’s concept honored this cultural tradition of ‘tree worship,’ which crosses beyond the borders of religion, geography and time.

Capturing the spirit of abundance present in every bottle of St-German, made from thousands of elderflower blossoms, Kwong’s piece featured sculptural masses of exotic orchids and epiphytes indigenous to South America, East Asia, Africa, and beyond sweeping up and across the building’s façade in the hotel’s iconic backyard.

Kwong also reprised her ‘Maison’ installation built from beams of light on the beach, dressed with prisms and hundreds of bromeliads and air plants. These plant sculptures were activated by Faena Theater’s SENSATIA Cabaret, which performed a ceremonial dance inspired by the ‘Tree of Life.’