Garden of Seasons
marble, two-channel video
86.6 × 51.2 × 33.5 in., 00:32:34
2016–2019

My Athena sculpture combines traditional features with gestures of the Spring Goddess and Venus. This piece was inspired by an invitation to an exhibition to show my previous work by a non-profit art organization, aimed at discussing the role of marble sculptures as art and commodities in globalization, and their fading connection to creators. The exhibition sparked local debates, leading to a city council decision, show was canceled. The controversy revolved around whether a non-traditional aesthetic sculpture could be displayed alongside the local Athena landmark, despite sharing origins. Meanwhile, a local museum supportive of the concept invited me to respond artistically. I discovered the local ‘Athena’ was actually Venus and had never been in the city. My final work includes a two-meter marble Athena and a video weaving the statue’s production and journey with global discussions on artistic freedom. Additionally, I presented a map detailing each sculpture’s story in this narrative.

View the exhibition page on Vincent Price Art Museum’s website