Enigma

ENIGMA, 2023

PVC fabric and rubber elastic tubes

The soft, pink form of this vast sculpture is ambiguous
– the intertwining tubes could be a biological
organism, a womb-like structure, or perhaps a worm.
The mysterious title invites the viewer to imagine what
kind of creature this might be.
When deflated and spread out on the ground, the
skin-like structure resembles a deep-sea mollusc
carcass. But this seemingly organic form is made
using plastic ballonet material. Bao uses this tension
between the natural and the artificial to cast a critical
eye over our relationship with the natural world. The
artist intentionally holds up a mirror to the use of
unsustainable materials in contemporary industrial
society.