Agnes Ma

Website: agnesma.com
Email: am@agnesma.com
Instagram: @i_am_agnesma

Artist’s Statement

The Russian olive tree with delicate leaves of silver and celadon was brought to the Great Plains of North America in the early 1900s due to its ease to cultivate and use as ornamental shrub while also growing large enough to provide windbreak to flat plains. It provided a means for crops and homesteads to grow, protected from gusts of wind. While prolific in the region, these beautiful trees are an invasive species replacing native vegetation over time altering the ecosystem of the surrounding area. Like most invasive species, what once seemed to be a good idea has become troublesome.

Everything and Nothing, 2024

PLA (bioplastic) and laser-cut paper kudzu
108 x 216 x 60 in.
$50,000

Artist’s Statement

In the southern states of ‘Merica, a fast-growing invasive vine engulfs the landscape. It grows over abandoned homes and cars, lawns, and even tall trees. In its native habitat cold winters control its growth, but in the warmth of the southern climate it flourishes uncontrollably. Viewing areas where Kudzu has overtaken the terrain, there is admiration for the mightiness of “The Vine That Ate the South.” However, its haunting existence also incites fear of its intensity.