“There is still hope, and we are not doomed, not yet. Though destruction and death are the main theme of “After The Burn” [an exhibition; author’s addition], there is still a silver lining. At least we still want to believe that there will be salvation for all critters. This is best illustrated in the “Pine Tree Sapling” series (Figure 4 [see some works here; author’s addition]), which depict young pine tree saplings rising tenaciously from the burnt ground. The pine tree saplings are not optimistic or pessimistic about the future. They focus on the intense present, and they grow with other survivors on this scorched land. They are also not so ambitious as to focus on the “big picture” of restoring the land, but rather, they interact and exchange with other plants, which perhaps “unexpectedly” contribute to the recuperation of the landscape. To embrace a Chthulucene narrative, we are to let go of our ego that puts us at the center of the universe, and to recognize other species as crucial in determining the fate of Earth. A shared future is not for human beings only, but for all things existing on Earth. In our precarious time, let’s live together, die together, and dream together.” (Zong 2022)
Haraway, D. (2016). Tentacular Thinking: Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene. https://www.e-flux.com/journal/75/67125/tentacular-thinking-anthropocene-capitalocene-chthulucene/ [2023-01-25]
Gibson, P., Gagliano, M. (2017). The Feminist Plant: Changing Relations with the Water Lily. Ethics & The Environment. 22(2), 125-147.
