Cultivating Hopeless Hope

Mixed-media / Dimensions variable / 2023

While staying as a resident artist in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai, China, I became fascinated by the local custom of eating sunflower seeds.

Inspired by this, I began a project exploring the meaning behind cultivating sunflowers that never bloom. I planted an edible sunflower seed in a small pot and watered it daily, yet it has failed to sprout.

What does it signify to continue nurturing something that shows no signs of growth or fruition? Is there meaning in maintaining hope even when it seems hopeless?