Constellations of porcelain flowers hang overhead like nocturnal blooms. Bronze branches traverse ceilings and walls, oranges hover between green and sunlit gold in metal, and a snake glides along the edge of a mirror with the slow pull of gravity. In Nature as Refuge at HomeArt in Hong Kong, fleeting moments of blossoming and ripening are stilled in bronze and ceramic.
The exhibition began with a 2020 commission from HomeArt founder Rosaline Wong, the eminent Hong Kong collector who invited American designer David Wiseman to create a room in dialogue with two of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies paintings. That single room has since expanded into Wiseman’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, in which he transforms the gallery into a cultivated wilderness of more than sixty works spanning sculptural furniture, lighting, and immersive installations.
As Nature as Refuge opens, The Value sits down with Wiseman to talk about his idea of refuge, the Frogtown studio and gardens behind these works, and how they inform his approach to nature, materials, and the blurred line between fine and functional art.
*Nature as Refuge is on view at HomeArt, Hong Kong, until 23 September 2026, with entry by appointment only through info@homeart.art.
Like Los Angeles, Hong Kong is teeming with life. As our societies become increasingly urban and we spend more and more time with technology, there is a danger that we are not bringing nature into our homes or into our hearts. These works are celebrations of the subtleties within nature.
My personal refuge is my studio. We have a space on the banks of the L.A. River in an area called Frogtown. There are wild birds, hawks, ospreys, tortoises, squirrels, and, of course, a lot of toads – some of which are featured in this show.
We have two gardens filled with the plants that inspire my installations: magnolias, ginkgos, pines, pomegranates, and geraniums. All of the pieces you see in this show are part of Los Angeles that I’ve brought here to Hong Kong.
It is one thing to be inspired by photographs or memories of nature, and another to work with it directly and watch the seasons affect each plant. When you tend and nurture a garden, you are really in touch with the source and the raw materials. That allows us to understand the different stages of growth for each species.
When we were contemplating works for this show, we were drawn to the symbolic meaning that oranges carry in Chinese culture and for the Lunar New Year. We feature them in various stages of ripening – some green, some sun-kissed – alongside buds and blossoms.
Many of these species we do not just sculpt, draw, or create in bronze and porcelain; some we actually cast directly. They are growing right there; we cut them and cast them in bronze. It is a bit of a farm.
David Wiseman
Whenever possible, I think of works as if they have always been there – pieces that fit the space, are customized to the interior, and bring nature indoors.
There are times when you cannot control the material, and you have to be okay with that. With enameling, for instance, we apply glass onto copper, and we want that surprise, serendipity, and chaos of different colors boiling through.
My favorite thing about working with various materials is combining them. That conversation between materials is important – they have a dialogue with one another, whether they contrast or move in unity. It is a constant evolution in the work: How can I match this to that, and do it in a way that enhances both?
I knew I wanted to create a monkey for this show because it is our closest relative in the natural world; in a way, it puts us into the exhibition. I wanted to capture a very particular expression on his face, and that took weeks and weeks of sculpting.
Technically, the most challenging might have been fitting the snake onto the Serpentine Jungle Mirror. I wanted the snake to feel the pull of gravity, to make it lifelike. It is a fully three-dimensional sculpture, with details carved in 360 degrees, even where the body presses into the bronze. We had to customize it to the bronze frame through many different stages.
Even in Los Angeles, I remember owls as a kind of guardian – a reminder that the wilderness is everywhere, even in the city. As a child, I would take walks at night, feel a presence, and look up to see an owl gazing down. They bring wisdom and a sense of peace to me, so it feels important to include them in the work and to bring them into interiors.
Many of these works evolved out of custom commissions, which make up the majority of my practice. Often, I create entire room environments – chandeliers, rugs, walls, tables. Within those explorations are ideas that don’t need to exist only in a single setting; they can live elsewhere.
It should not matter whether you’re doing a huge room or a single object; the same amount of devotion goes into each piece. I don’t feel the need to locate myself within a hierarchy of “this is fine art, and this is just functional art.” There’s no reason why a chair shouldn’t have the same intentionality, care, and devotion as a fine artwork. For me, that distinction doesn’t exist.
David Wiseman: Nature as Refuge
Date: until 23 September 2026
Venue: HomeArt
Address: M/F, Convention Plaza Office Tower, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
*By appointment only (contact: info@homeart.art)