Plant Inspiration 290 — Seeing the life of a snake connects with Wang Guo-Ren’s memories of his grandfather and the farmland. His grandfather often spoke to him of the respect and awe he felt on seeing a snake. For the artist, a snake’s presence signifies an unpolluted environment and a balanced food chain. Throughout his Plant Inspiration series, snakes often hide within fertile land, serving as symbols of abundant harvests and freedom.
About the Artist
Wang Guo-Ren
Taiwan
Wang Guo-Ren (b. 1982) was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Largely self-taught, his practice spans painting and three-dimensional installation. His early experience with street graffiti shaped an intuitive and unconstrained approach that continues to inform his work. Growing up around farmland through his maternal grandfather, Wang developed a close relationship with land and plant life. These experiences became an important source for his practice. His paintings often use vivid, saturated colour and natural imagery to move between observed forms and imagined landscapes. His ongoing Plant Inspiration series draws from dreams, plants and lived experience, using recurring grasses, shoots and symbolic elements to explore life, growth, and the relationship between people and the natural world.