Spiritual Fossils - Preservation of the Universe, Time and Energy

Spiritual Deconstruction and Reconstruction in Foreign Lands

My studies in London and residency in Greece brought forth a wealth of inspiration and nourishment, prompting a reexamination of how individuals relate to land, memory, and culture in unfamiliar environments. The series Geoportyand Spiritual Fossil take “plants” as the central metaphor, using them to dissect and transform layers of geography, history, and inner spiritual states.

I chose plants as symbolic media because I grew up in Pingtung, a tropical region in southern Taiwan, lush with vegetation and ecological symbiosis. That natural environment profoundly shaped my awareness of ecology and the resilience of life. Between the biodiversity of East Asian flora and the cultural hybridity of foreign contexts, a subtle yet potent contrast emerges—mirroring how plants seek balance between competition and coexistence. Likewise, I have learned to adapt, root, and find coexistence in foreign cultural soil.

These works reflect my own experience as a kind of “alien plant” navigating identity and belonging in a foreign land. I strive to harness the energy of the land and explore deep connections between humans and nature. Through the use of fossils, minerals, and other solid, symbolically rich materials, I respond to personal vulnerability—transforming ephemeral life forms into enduring elements of the earth through the passage of time.

Although fragile, plants undergo spiritual transformation and find belonging through cycles of decay and renewal. Once their bodies become part of the soil, they no longer represent mere individual entities but integrate into the historical and geographic memory of a place. This process—from fragility to eternity—is the core essence I aim to convey: the reconstruction of the self in foreign lands and the birth of new spiritual strata from the ruins of deconstruction.

Spiritual Fossils — Cosmos, Time, and Energy

I have always been fascinated by the historical depth, regional context, and ritual significance embedded in materials. The Spiritual Fossil: Philosopher’s Stone series was born from this contemplation. These works are not static objects but open, fractured, and continuously evolving visual fields—spaces that hold traces of humanity’s spiritual evolution and cosmic transformation.

This series is a practice in spiritual archaeology—excavating the deep structures of belief and philosophy through imagery and texture, and reconstructing maps of inner conviction. The term “Philosopher’s Stone,” drawn from alchemical lore, refers to a mythical substance capable of transmuting base metals into gold and granting eternal life. To me, it symbolizes humanity’s yearning for eternity, essence, and truth. What remains after the forge of history and the distillation of faith is rarely the original material form, but rather an invisible yet profound spiritual residue—what I call the spiritual fossil.

The inspiration partly comes from the natural formation of fossils—traces of forms on the verge of disappearance, embodying sedimented time and resistance to oblivion. Their durability reflects the immortal potential inherent in life itself. If art can approach any form of “eternity,” it must be grounded in a profound understanding and enactment of transformation. I employ materials such as plaster, marble, minerals, mother-of-pearl, and Cretaceous limestone, layering and interweaving textures to mimic how thought crystallizes and sediments over time. The iridescence and subtle transitions of mother-of-pearl, especially under shifting light, echo the East Asian aesthetic of wabi-sabi—the beauty of impermanence—and reflect my inner transformation during my time creating in the UK.

Recurring floral and botanical motifs symbolize cycles of gestation, metamorphosis, and spiritual reconstruction. This symbolic system draws inspiration from the alchemical practice of spagyric plant transformation—derived from Greek, meaning “to separate” and “to recombine.” The process includes three stages: separating the plant’s solid and liquid parts (representing the “body”), distilling its essence (the “soul”), and finally recombining them into a higher, purer form (the “spirit”). My work is not merely a manipulation of imagery or material but a spiritual alchemy around time, memory, and being—seeking the possibility of transformation and rebirth amidst the ruins of deconstruction.