Artwork Appreciation
The artist Lie Wei-Zheng often gets his creative inspiration from plants, whether they are small flowers that he occasionally glimpses in the mountains or small potted plants that he grows. In the Wild: Anemone uses the chasing and repoussé techniques in metal working, slowly knocking pieces of metal into the shapes of petals and leaves. The anemone part of the work retains the original silver luster, which makes the flower stand out from the other green plants. Lie Wei-Zheng believes that the traces of chasing and repoussé are just like the traces on growing plants left by wind, sun, and insects. He also thinks that even though metals often give people the impression of being cold and hard, they are actually surprisingly resilient and malleable. Therefore, he uses them to depict charming wildflowers and to show plants’ tenacious vitality.