Discover Miao Li's Root Emotions Exhibition: Unveiling Urban Forests and Ecosystem Connections

Root Emotions by Miao Li explores the intricate root networks of urban forests, revealing the complex, hidden connections between underground ecosystems and urban infrastructures. The exhibition highlights the vulnerability of city trees and the psychological disconnect of urban dwellers with nature.

Root Emotions, by artist Miao Li, delves into the sophisticated root networks found in urban forests, illuminating the intricate and concealed linkages between subterranean ecosystems and the infrastructure of cities. The exhibition posits that urban trees often face challenges such as insufficient root space, poor soil quality, and a lack of connection to mycorrhizal networks, which are vital for forest resilience. This vulnerability, the artist suggests, mirrors the psychological disconnection experienced by city inhabitants from the natural world. The work invites visitors to engage with the hidden world beneath their feet, juxtaposing the urban and the forest to emphasize shared forms and movements, thereby illustrating the deep interweaving of natural and artificial systems. Each installation embodies a hybrid landscape, capturing the tension and resilience inherent in urban trees. Central to the exhibition's language are lines, depicted as three-dimensional sketches that represent exchange, transport, and migration—processes fundamental to both root systems and urban development. Elements like roots adorned with reflective tape connect twigs and tiles, lamp wires transform into fibrous paper networks, and underground cables intertwine with water pipes, creating tangible representations of these connections. Li skillfully combines plant materials, sourced globally, with remnants of urban infrastructure to reveal the vast underground interconnections that bind cities and the earth. Root Emotions thus opens a visionary space for future urban forests within the Symbiocene, envisioning a collaborative future where nature and the city form the bedrock of resilience.