Look what grew in our garden, mom!

Look what grew in our garden, mom! 2026. Ceramic, glaze.

17 x 11 x 7 cm

The sculpture entitled Look what grew in our garden, mom! (2026) does not seem as though its protagonist has achieved his goal of humanization. Nevertheless, the figure smiles cheerfully. Its hand-shaped form resembles, as the title suggests, a spiky plant, making Pinocchio appear still connected to his original wooden nature.

Perhaps the artist is pointing here to the human misconception that we can detach ourselves from (our own) nature. At the same time, the shimmering black ceramic glaze evokes associations with oil-covered flora and fauna, opening another possible reading that points toward human-made environmental disasters. Then again, perhaps this grinning Pinocchio is simply delighted that he, like the artist herself, is allowed to keep playing.

Försterling frequently brings into focus the increasingly strained relationship between humanity and nature in an age marked by escalating ecological crises. At the same time, she destabilizes established notions of artistic media and social hierarchies through the use of childlike and playful elements.