"Zero is silence. Zero is the beginning. Zero is round. Zero is spinning. Zero is the moon. The sun is
zero. Zero is white. The desert is zero. The sky above zero. The night." — Excerpt from a poem by
Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, Günther Uecker, 1963.

The ZERO Group (commonly referred a s ZERO) was a n experimental art collective founded i n t h e
late 1950s in Düsseldorf by artists Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker. Through their explo-
ration of light, space, and movement, they extended the boundaries and possibilities of art. ZERO
resonated with the avant-garde movements of Europe, Asia, and North America of the same era, in-
viting pioneering artists like Yves Klein, Lucio Fontana, and Kusama Yayoi to participate. Rather
than being an organized art group, ZERO was more like a global artistic ecosystem. As art historian
Catherine Millet wrote, "Zero was woven from chance, encounters, and friendships, driving the rip-
ples of exhibitions and events, expanding like waves in a silent sea."

The exhibition From ZERO t o Infinity carries ZERO's revolutionary spirit and artistic ideals, inherit-
ing its avant-garde experimental exploration while integrating the thinking of "De-Anthropocen-
trism". Through the artworks, the exhibition re-examines the relationships between humans,
nature, technology, and other life forms, opening up a dialogue across media and materials, explor-
ing the complexities of the coexistence of life, ecology and technology.

This exhibition brings together 23 artworks by 14 contemporary artists from China, the United
States, France, and South Korea, showcasing experimental art practices in fields such as dynamics,
optics, biology, technology, and new materials. The artworks not only respond to ZERO's creative
concepts but also offer a profound reflection on current global crises and the challenges posed by
technological advancements. The artists break the boundaries between human and non-human life
forms, exploring the role of art today from the historical perspective of ZERO, inspiring audiences to
think about the role of human beings in a highly technological future. Through the exploration of the
diversity of life and the coexistence of ecosystems, artists express the symbiosis of nature and tech-
nology in a multi-sensory way. This is not only a tribute to history but also a release of infinite possi-
bilities for the future. As Otto Piene said: "A place of silence, filled with the pure potential for new be-
ginnings."

LAST Art Project is a contemporary art project space co-founded by artist Zero Shen and curator Re-
becca Xu, and operated in collaboration with the Shanghai T Center. This space brings together the
exploration of artistic limits and the pursuit of endless possibilities, serving as a boundaryless exper-
imental venue.

At LAST Art Project, artists are freed from traditional constraints to engage in radical experiments
and bold creations, exploring unknown artistic frontiers. Each art project is seen as the ultimate cre-
ation, with every exhibition representing a wholehearted attempt, symbolizing the artists' relentless
pursuit of ultimate expression. This total dedication aims to continuously challenge oneself, break
conventions, and create works that deeply resonate.

"LAST" not only signifies "current" or "final", but also represents "ongoing" exploration and pursuit.
Its four letters symbolize the core concepts of this space:
- Laboratorial: Experimental exploration, encouraging the use of n e w technologies and materials.
- Awakening: Providing profound experiences that awaken and resonate with both audiences and
artists.
- Subtle: Conveying deep thoughts through clever expression and delicate artistic techniques.
- Tenacious: An unyielding creative spirit that drives art to continuously push boundaries.
LAST Art Project is not only a space for displaying art but also an academic experimental platform for
ongoing exploration and challenging the limits of art. Here, art begins from "zero" and extends to in-
finite possibilities.

Flame/Flower Transect II, 2024

Flame/Flower Transect II, 2024, is an animate, flag-based artwork and is part of the Meta-site Vascular Facies flag projects. This series, as an expansive parallel to the terrain-specific Geology Flags, 2004-present and Venice Substructure Complex, 2016-2024, can work in a site-dynamic context but add references outside of geographic or cultural contexts in the realms of process, global metabolism and trans-material sentient possibilities. The imagery and animate nature can signal a gradient or flow between two metabolic states, sentient to non-sentient, organic to non-organic and potential alchemical/empathetic valences implying a poetic, if not actual, unity or continuity between these conditions. The New York based curator, Oscar Salguero, recently noted1 about the Meta-site Vascular Facies flags: “...(they) meld biologic and geologic imagery and declare the sovereignty of these planetary processes.”

In Flame/Flower Transect II, the floral, orchid image, that incrementally rotates from one flag to the next, has a deep history reaching back to environmental Land Kiln projects from the early 1980’s that originally referenced petal-like lava flows in shield and occasionally stratovolcanoes. A recent flag, Vascular Mantle (Transverse Range Rotation/Ghost Orchid Vectors), 2024, is a site-relevant rhapsody related to the geologic history of Transverse Ranges of Southern California. The orchid rotation within this flag is a metaphorical agent exploring the dynamics of rotation, transform fault displacement and para-organic processes from the fluid/ vascular mantle interface activating the Transverse Ranges in the ongoing development of this salient part of the LA landscape. The greenish flame transecting and uniting the orchid sequence in Flame/Flower Transect II, references the energy dynamics and creation narratives of the Land Kilns, in particular the process of photosynthesis and ancient sunlight embedded through geologic processes of the fuel giving life to the kiln projects, examples of one definition of the practice of ceramics into deep time and landscape transformation.

Installation of the larger collection of flag projects have two fundamental options (open to conditional, spacial or poetic variations): vertically, which references a “gravitational wind,” from the earths core, or more traditionally on a flag pole emphasizing “climactic wind” generated by more surficial planetary forces.