Shanghai Biennale

In a world where everything is pulled towards the ground, we decided to challenge gravity.

It all began with a call from REAL TOUCH — an offer I simply couldn't refuse: to become co-creators of something extraordinary alongside visionary artists. The challenge was as bold as it was poetic: to create a ghost. Not merely a decorative installation, but a phantom tree for a museum space in Turin, where tabebuia blossoms, detached from their branches, would float in mid-air, tracing the invisible outline of a tree's crown.

My team and I immersed ourselves in the mathematics of beauty. Designs took shape, installation plans were drawn, and every point of support for the delicate petals was meticulously calculated. And then — the impossible became reality. A weightless tree appeared suspended in the air of Turin, proving that roots don't always have to grow in the earth. Sometimes, they grow from an idea.

But once you begin playing with the impossible, it's hard to stop. The concept of ghostly nature was far too captivating to end with a single tree.

And so, Phantom Forest was born.

Shanghai. The Biennale. A scale that demanded six months of extraordinary work: developing forms, engineering structures, and producing hundreds of technical drawings.

We were building a forest that didn't exist.

Three weeks of installation inside the Power Station of Art — and suddenly, three phantom trees emerged where once there had been nothing but empty space.

This landmark project caused a sensation. Amid the hum of the crowds and the glow of the spotlights, Phantom Forest (2025) left visitors holding their breath.

It was more than art. It was the materialisation of dreams, brought to life in collaboration with two extraordinary contemporary artists, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla.

My heartfelt thanks to the REAL TOUCH team (@real_touch_flowers), and especially to @kulikovyan and @prokazovaluybov, for making the ground disappear beneath our feet, leaving nothing but flowers suspended in the air.