Dutch artist Edwin Zwakman along with his Chinese producer Liu Gang has lobbied long and hard to realize a unique project in Changfeng Park of Shanghai: a permanent, conceptual artwork in public space. Neither stainless steel nor figurative, the Tree Hugger offers an urban promenade on a concrete structure that is a footbridge going nowhere, spiraling around a tree to a height of 9,2 meters. At the heart of the project lies a surreal treatment of architecture, and the opportunity it gives to the passers-by to walk around the tree and be among its leaves at the top. The slightly too steep ascension is a bit of a hike, the tight hugging of the tree an ambivalent mixture of embrace and strangulation.

Special thanks to:
Putuo District, Changfeng Park, Arthub Asia/Shanghai and TIM/Beijing

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