Laurel

The laurel tree has long symbolized victory, endurance, and power. In kingdoms past, and later in colonial regimes, it lined grand avenues as a sign of permanence, its evergreen nature evoking the unbroken continuity of long-standing empires. Likewise, the perfectly squared, red-trimmed hedges embodied ideals of order, control, and stability—nature disciplined into geometry as a metaphor for authority.

In my work, I fragment these forms to reveal the tension between natural growth and imposed order. What once stood as a symbol of permanence now reads differently: no empire is eternal, and no structure unshakable. Today, more than ever, it is citizens and activists who carry the task of breaking apart these patriarchal and colonial systems. And in their decomposition, beauty rises through the cracks.