Futile Ascent-1.0 Fragile

FRAGILE, 2023
Box, glass, transportation machine

This work is characterised by futility. A cardboard
box turns repeatedly, in a failed attempt to ascend a
near-vertical conveyor belt. This eternally repetitive
sculpture is both hypnotic and unnerving. Each time
the box falls, it is accompanied by the sound of
shattering glass, reinforcing the senselessness of the
work, which is labelled FRAGILE in bright tape.
This sculpture points to the story of Sisyphus, the
mythological king who was doomed to eternally push
a boulder up an endless hill. The perseverance of the
box in its unceasing task hints at Bao’s hopeful
understanding of human existence.