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Chu Chu 儲楚

Magnolia—The Universe in a Nutshell (玉蘭—果壳中的宇宙)
Now On View Recent Acquisition

Maker

Chu Chu 儲楚 (Chinese, b. 1975, Hangzhou, China)

Title

Magnolia—The Universe in a Nutshell (玉蘭—果壳中的宇宙)
From the series Whispers of Trees (树语)

Year

2010-2025

Medium

  • photograph,
  • Chinese ink,
  • and gold on paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Photograph,
  • Chinese ink,
  • and gold on paper

Geography

China

Dimensions

Overall with mounting: 169.5 x 79 cm (66 3/4 x 31 1/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Chu Chu

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2025.17.1

Type

  • Work on Paper

Exhibition History

Asian Art Galleries
Jun 10, 2014

Label copy

随着我的书法技法和草书的提高,我越来越感觉到那些

最具有朴素精神的树枝在近乎成灰的无中低声诉述。

As my calligraphy practice matured, I increasingly felt that these branches, imbued with a spirit of simplicity, whispered softly from a near-ash nothingness.

—   Chu Chu

Chu Chu explores the relationship between natural forms and philosophical reflection. She began her Whispers of Trees series in 2010 by photographing fallen branches she had collected near her home. Over the subsequent years, she inked text onto the photos, within the branches’ shadows. The text in this enigmatic work is translated from physicist Stephen Hawking’s Universe in a Nutshell, a book published in 2001 that explores theories of cosmology.

—   Zimo Yang 杨紫陌 (RISD BFA 2026, Illustration)

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Chu Chu 儲楚 (Chinese, b. 1975, Hangzhou, China)
Magnolia—The Universe in a Nutshell (玉蘭—果壳中的宇宙); From the series Whispers of Trees (树语), 2010-2025
Photograph, Chinese ink, and gold on paper
Overall with mounting: 169.5 x 79 cm (66 3/4 x 31 1/8 inches)
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2025.17.1

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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