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MIRRORED GARDENS and Danh Vo@Re-space

Just an hour away from the hustle and bustle of the world’s largest urban area, hidden in the subtropical forest of Guangzhou, China, lies Mirrored Gardens. This contemporary art, design, and architecture oasis serves as a creative hub where artistic practices intersect and collaborate, guided by principles of local culture, a slow-paced lifestyle, and biodiversity.

Initiated by Vitamin Creative Space—co-directed by Hu Fang and Zhang Wei, one of China’s leading galleries known for its focus on contemporary life, experimentation, and Chinese philosophy—Mirrored Gardens has already partnered with renowned international artists, including Danish-Icelandic creator Olafur Eliasson, Japanese media-artist Koki Tanaka, among many others.

Differently from the common idea of a gallery–a white-cube, sterile space–Mirrored Gardens offers an environment rich with opportunities for exploration. Upon arrival, a narrow path paved with circular stones guides visitors to the entrance of this unique space. Rather than merely marking a transition between indoors and outdoors, this entrance acts as a gateway to an environment waiting to be discovered. Here, a botanical garden boasting diverse plants, herbs, and rock formations harmonizes with five distinct built areas: three exhibition spaces, an archive, and an information center.

Mirrored Gardens, Overview image, June 2024

Mirrored Gardens is understood as a continuously evolving collaborative project involving internationally renowned creative practitioners. Sou Fujimoto Architects designed the overall space architecture from the inspiration of natural and traditional elements of the surrounding villages. This approach resulted in the creation of numerous small-scale exhibition spaces, forming a cohesive ensemble rather than a singular imposing structure. These different constructions seamlessly blend local materials (seashells, upcycled earthenware tiles, etc.), traditional building techniques, as well as prefabricated modules such as metal containers. In this environment, the relationship between the built and natural elements is reciprocal and fluid. The architecture, with its wide openings, facilitates air and sight to flow freely, functioning like windows that frame what lies behind them. There are no obstructions or concealments; instead, everything continually renews as visitors move through the garden. The perception of this environment is intimately tied to visitors' experiences, reflecting their engagement and discovery process.

Mirrored Gardens, Material Details, June 2024

The design of the garden is the result of a collaborative effort among various contributors. Specifically, Zhen Gougu’s "Succulent Shanshui" showcases a curated collection of succulent plants arranged in a variety of pots and vessels. Additionally, the artist created "Visionary World in a Changing State of Mind," incorporating a watercourse and streams within the garden. The sound and flowing of the water act as ever-lasting energy with the ability of connecting and enhancing the sensibility of the visitor to the surrounding environment. This addition reflects the artist’s favorite concepts such as spirituality, influenced by notions of inner harmony and from the heart chakra, the source of emotional energy. In contrast, Xu Tan’s "2013-2113" takes a more scientific turn to the garden. This section features a 2-square-meter plot of land left to develop autonomously its own ecosphere over a century. The artist plans to conduct observations with biological and physical analyses every five years, documenting its evolution in relation to the garden’s ecosystem.

Mirrored Gardens, Overview image, June 2024

Here, art, design, and architecture seamlessly blend and intertwine, transcending the boundaries of a static exhibition or gallery. Instead, they foster an evolving, symbiotic creative ongoing practice. The artworks themselves dissolve into the environment, transforming it into a living garden. This garden welcomes a wide variety of different organisms, microorganisms and other-than-humans beings, enriching the environment with biodiversity and boosting the overall sustainability.

This aspect is particularly relevant considering the context where Mirrored Gardens is located. The surrounding megalopolis, such as Guangzhou, extend wide and abruptly, creating a huge impact on the flora and fauna with the result of a drastic loss of biodiversity and local wildlife. Conversely, as soon as the visitor enters Mirrored Gardens perceives a vivid and, sadly, uncommon feeling of naturalness, as if something so important as life was suddenly restored. The variety of plants attracts pollinators, the water element offers restoration from the torrid climate to birds, as well as attracting dragonflies and other insects for reproduction. The visitor becomes part of this ecosystem and inevitably contributes to its sustain.

Zhen Gougu, Detail of “Succulent Shanshui”, June 2024

In one of the gallery spaces of Mirrored Gardens, a wooden pavilion, “Untitled” 2020-2021, created by Vietnamese-Danish artist Danh Vo, particularly attracted our attention. Made of cedar wood, it is inspired by the one realized by the Dong minority, from the Chinese region of Guizhou. The structure creates a comfortable and intimate space, welcoming the outside nature to come indoors. Perhaps the installation acts even as an extension of the garden itself thanks to pictures, showcased on the pavilions beams, of flower species, introducing and recontextualising them into a sort of archival and encyclopedic framework. Each picture bears below an handwritten Latin nomenclature of the flower depicted, introducing how humans give sense and value to nature. These indexes highlight topics dear to the artist, such as colonialisms, power and global exchange, topics that are connected with his personal life story as well as hidden in the terminology of such plant species.

Detail of “Untitled”, Danh Vo, 2020-2021, June 2024

Overview of “Untitled”, 2020 and Detail of “Untitled”, 2021, Foeniculum Vulgare, Danh Vo, June 2024

During our visit, we learned from one of the caretakers of the space that just beyond the Mirrored Gardens the artist Danh Vo has created a unique space for nurturing and cultivating plants and flowers. Known as Danh Vo@Re-space, this ongoing project evolved from the revitalization of an abandoned traditional cabin. It functions as a nursery where plants and flowers, envisioned as evolving artworks, are arranged, curated, and researched.

The space itself resembles a living organism, with vegetation sprouting and extending in all directions. Local species such as Rangoon Creeper and Banyan trees, which were owned by the previous residents, have been re-curated and organized into what the artist calls "bouquets."

Danh Vo@Re-space and Enzo Mari, Autoprogettazione Dining Table, June 2024

In contrast, specific areas within Danh Vo@Re-space are dedicated to experimenting with new plants and flowers that can thrive in subtropical climates or low-light indoor environments. For the artist, flowers play a crucial role in the essence of Danh Vo@Re-space. In fact, they are exchanged, received, mixed, and scattered, serving as a medium for human connection. They act as an interface for the visitors with the space, who have the possibility to purchase them. In this environment, plants and flowers are in a state of constant movement, evolving through ongoing maintenance and care. The vegetation not only contaminates the architectural structures but also the design furniture present in the spaces of the nursery. Specifically, Enzo Mari’s "Autoprogettazione" tables, chairs, and displays add another layer to the space, where plants become the true inhabitants and active agents within Danh Vo’s project.

Danh Vo@Re-space, Flower Display on Enzo Mari, Autoprogettazione Circular Display, June 2024

Both Mirrored Gardens and Danh Vo@Re-space exemplify a concept that is frequently discussed in our contemporary world but rarely put into practice: a true symbiosis between creative practices and the environment. In these spaces, the elements are not merely juxtaposed but they interact in ways that profoundly influence and even transform each other’s existence. Here, plants serve as a connective medium that gradually roots and sprouts, penetrating into the rigid structures of art, design, and architecture for re-composing them. Every counterpart must lose a certain degree of authorship in order to embrace and foster this reciprocal exchange. We believe that it is this ongoing process of evolution and their livingness quality that makes these projects truly effective.

Photography by Amedeo Martines

External Links:
Mirrored Gardens webpage: https://mirroredgardens.art/about/
Danh Vo@Re-space: https://re-space.art/
Vitamin Creative Space homepage: http://vitamincreativespace.com/en/