in collaboration with ANIMEST
2025
“The Journey”
This year’s theme, The Journey, offers a natural continuation of my exploration into living organisms, hybrid matter, symbiotic systems, and biohacking at the intersection of art, science, and social life. Lately, my focus has been on discovering stories in nature that we can relate to and learn from.
The sculptures I created are inspired by underground fungal networks, epiphytic plants, and invisible biological processes — echoing themes of transformation, connection, and regeneration.
From Seed to Canopy: The Animest Journey
Twenty years ago, Animest was planted like a small chestnut seed — an idea full of creative promise, nurtured by a handful of passionate dreamers. Over the years, it took root, growing strong and resilient, moving through different grounds, spreading branches that reached new communities, artists, and audiences. Each edition became another ring in its trunk — a mark of time, of learning, of shared energy.
Just like the chestnut horse tree, which blossoms after years of steady growth and patience, Animest has flourished into a tall, generous presence — offering shade, fruit, and inspiration to an ever-expanding family of filmmakers, animators, and friends.
Among other plants with beautiful stories used in these sculptures, the horse chestnut — whose fruits shape our sweet little Animest creature’s ears and fur — mirrors this evolution perfectly. From a single seed to a flower, to a fruit, and finally into a mature, rooted tree after two decades, it embodies our story: growth through creativity, resilience through change, and beauty born from collaboration. They reach full maturity at about 20 years, though they can live up to 300 years or more.
Now, as we celebrate 20 years, Animest stands like the chestnut in full bloom — deeply rooted in creativity, branching wide into a family that nurtures our need for belonging..
At the heart of the work is the iconic Animest Sheep—a GMO hybrid with a Mickey head and lamb’s body—reimagined as a nomadic, metamorphic creature, a vessel for change.
Each form is sculpted from seeds, roots, and plant fragments gathered from across the world, creating living sculptures that trace the journey from seed to organism.
A magenta thread—referencing the “BEST…” award name—runs visibly or subtly through each piece, symbolizing a color in motion, contaminating and connecting the organic structures.
Together, these works embody a poetic journey of matter, where nature, mutation, and myth converge into a new kind of animated presence.
Anim’est 20 – Sculpture Awards: The Making-of
