Come witness the unveiling and unfolding of a new, larger-than-life artwork inspired by the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree, created by artist Colette Fu during her month-long residency at BIMA. Fu has gained recognition for her intricate compositions melding photography and pop-up paper engineering. Many of her works are featured in prestigious institutions such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Library of Congress, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the West Collection, and numerous private and rare archive collections.

This work by Fu is a commission for The Cynthia Lovelace Sears Collection, and was inspired by the The Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees, a popular shrine in Hong Kong. According to local superstition, they hold a magical ability to make wishes come true as visitors write down their wishes for the new year, tie them to an orange, and then toss them up into the tree’s branches.

Like the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree, the tree will be a banyan tree, which has special significance in many cultures. It is considered sacred and represents numerous virtues including growth, strength, perseverance, longevity, immortality, wisdom, enlightenment, and the quieting of the mind.