Wood / Time Branch VI art by Hu Xiaoyuan

Wood / Time Branch VI combines wood, raw silk, lacquer, and iron nails into a layered composition that closely resembles a weathered wooden surface. Part of Hu Xiaoyuan’s ongoing Wood series, the work is created by tracing the grain of old wooden boards onto silk and then reintroducing those patterns through painting and other interventions. The result is a surface that feels both natural and carefully constructed, where original textures and their reproductions become difficult to distinguish. Through this process, Hu encourages viewers to look closely at familiar materials and consider how memory, time, and perception shape our understanding of the world around us.