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Lee Mingwei Born 1964, Taiwan Lives and works in Paris, France, and New York, United States Since 2008, a Bodhi tree ( Ficus religiosa ) has become a natural part of the urban landscape outside the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). Today, in conversation with the architecture, grounds and public art of the surrounding precinct, the towering tree creates a quiet canopy for gathering and contemplation, its lofty branches punctuating views to the sky and its thousands of heart-shaped leaves casting dappled light below. The Bodhi tree’s harmony with the surrounding environment, however, conceals its historical and spiritual significance as it symbolises ancient beliefs and a series of journeys through time and across lands and seas. The Bodhi tree’s story starts around 2500 years ago in a town now known as Bodh Gaya in northern India, where the young prince Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment under a related fig tree. He became known as ‘Buddha’, ‘the awakened one’, and the sacred tree took the name ‘Bodhi’, meaning ‘awakening’. Following the death of Buddha, a sapling from the holy tree was taken to Sri Lanka and planted in the city of Anuradhapura in 249 BCE. It was named Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and is one of the most sacred trees in the world. It is also considered the oldest living tree with a recorded date of planting. Lee Mingwei / Bodhi Tree Project 2006 99 Shared