Yang Lu

In When We Sailed the Sea, the voyage becomes a metaphor for humanity’s pursuit of dominance over nature. Made by black steel and blue acrylic, the work reflects the cold confidence of a ship set against vast, unknowable forces.

The sculpture can be moved like the hands of a clock, evoking the passage of time and the illusion of control. Its form is precise, symmetrical, almost mechanical—an object of human intention, ambition, and design. Yet within that structure lies a quiet tension: the sea, like time, cannot be conquered.

This piece explores the paradox of the voyager’s ego: the belief in mastery, the thrill of challenge, and the unattainable ultimate conquest. Nature stands, immense and unyielding: even as we believe we hold the helm, we belong to the tides we seek to navigate.