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This series of films captures our exhibition Unlabeled Origins, documenting how we created four oversized insect specimens from everyday fruits and vegetables.
Each piece began as a concept, evolved as we found the right plants, and took shape through preservation techniques tailored to each vegetable. Only then were they assembled into the final oversized insect specimen. The choice of fruit or vegetable was guided not only by its aesthetic harmony with the corresponding insect, but also by its ability to convey the core idea of the Unlabeled Origins series.
Through this process, we came to see ordinary fruits and vegetables in a new light—beyond their culinary value—and marveled at the subtle coincidences hidden in nature.
The Unlabeled Origins series, in both concept and method, reinterprets what a “specimen” can be.
The Chinese word biāo běn (标本) combines biāo (surface) and běn (root)—the outer appearance and the inner essence coexisting in a single term.
Unlabeled Origins, as its name suggests, invites us to set aside labels and look for the essence beneath. Only when we release our attachment to names can we release our prejudices toward the world, and encounter it anew.
—— Ruping Chen
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A poppy made of Chinese cabbage—a playful take on how we label things before we truly see them.
Using everyday vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, garland chrysanthemum, and potato skins, we created an oversized specimen of Yu Mei Ren (poppy). In Chinese, this plant’s name is pronounced yu mei ren, but those unfamiliar often mishear it as mei ren yu—“mermaid.” We embraced this playful misunderstanding when naming the work Unlabeled Origins · Yu Mei Ren.
People often fall into assumptions when facing the unknown, judging by a title, or making decisions based on a label. In this piece, the viewer might read the title and expect a poppy, then see the specimen from a distance and assume it is a poppy specimen—but upon closer inspection, it is actually made from Chinese cabbage.
The truth is rarely singular. If we only perceive things from the surface, or from a single dimension, it is like the blind men touching an elephant—seeing only what we expect, or what others want us to see.
Materials: Chinese cabbage, scallion, garland chrysanthemum, kiwi, potato skins, chili seeds, bok choy, king oyster mushroom, enoki mushroom, scallion roots, etc.
Dimensions: 156 × 96 cm
—— Ruping Chen
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A fern made entirely of vegetables—a playful take on how things are not always what they seem.
This time, we used leafy greens to create an oversized fern specimen.In its composition, this work replicates a fern plate from an 1800s botanical print—a classic style that immediately identifies it as a "plant specimen." Yet upon closer inspection, the viewer discovers that it is made entirely of everyday vegetables—ingredients we have all eaten.
From a far, a fern specimen; up close, vegetables. This contrast keeps telling your preconceptions: "It's definitely not what you think." The title plays on the homophone between 蕨不是 ("fern? not") and 绝不是 ("absolutely not"). Through this dissonance—this disruption of our usual way of seeing—we invite reflection on the habit of thinking in labels.
At its core, Unlabeled Origins is about setting aside labels and seeking the essence beneath. Only when we release our attachment to names can we begin to let go of our prejudices toward the world—and perhaps, like a child who has not yet learned to read, encounter the world anew.
Materials: Coriander, spring onion, celery, water spinach, cabbage, lettuce, Shanghai bok choy, seafood mushroom, ginger, onion roots
Dimensions: 156 × 96 cm
—— Ruping Chen
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A lily-of-the-valley made of king oyster mushroom and spring onion—a playful take on how we are often dazzled by appearances.
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