HIGHLIGHT｜CURATOR’S PICK

Whirling Garden compresses Taiwan's native plants, from lowland to alpine, into one small patch of wilderness at the Songshan Dome park. Wu Shu-yuan deliberately leaves it unclipped and unstaged, letting a gravel path wind through waist-high grasses. You can walk right up to these staggered clusters of green, or step fully inside, re-enacting the quiet, solitary stillness he treasures on his own mountain hikes—alone, briefly, with the sky and the earth, in the middle of the city.

Artwork Description｜

Using native plants of the Taipei Basin, tobacco, and mountain mist, the work creates a poetic contrast with the existing environment, weaving together a dreamlike space where illusion and reality intertwine. At times, it evokes the humid atmosphere of a rainforest from a century ago; at others, the scent of tobacco, the bleakness of winter, or the lush greenery of summer — forming a meditative and mysterious wild space.

Visitors can freely engage with the art installation of Whirling Garden, approaching the staggered native plants that resemble green islands. Alternatively, they can wander along winding gravel paths, immersed among freely growing flora, experiencing the quiet solitude that the designer treasures during solitary mountain hikes — an intimate journey where one feels alone with nature.