Paper mashe, wire, paper, acrylic paint and fabric reconstruct the spiritual life of trees by #JORGE MAYET

Trees have had a special place in the hearts of most people who have any connection to the world around them. Their long lives and stoic nature in the face of almost all adversity, plus the fact that they provide the oxygen we need to survive on this planet have made them special to people for centuries.

Refugee artist Jorge Mayet, originally from Cuba, creates beautiful sculptures of trees from just bits of wire, paper mashe, paint and fabric. They are very tactile looking miniatures that also look quite fragile, with their exposed roots and thin branches. Looking somehow excavated, a lot of his work is a way for him to remember ancient traditions where worshipping trees was normal, and planting gifts at the base of them was seen as good luck.

Nowadays a lot of people take the world around them for granted, using it up and spitting it out as they need. These sculptures, that are so life like, really helping to remind us of how fragile the world around us is, as well as how amazing, life sustaining and beautiful. The way they seem to float also reminds me of the magic that is all around us, if only we take a minute or two to look around and experience it.