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In the early 2000s, Taiwanese-born artist Lee Mingwei approached Raja Maha Temple, the custodian of the ancient tree in Sri Lanka, and after considerable consultation, the head priest took a cutting from the tree and gave permission for it to be planted at Kurilpa Point, the site of GOMA. 1 The sapling was grown in the temple grounds for a year before it was ready to travel, when the monks and worshippers held ceremonies to prepare for its departure. Through the Bodhi Tree Project , Mingwei explores how a public sculpture normally remains vulnerable to the elements, while the Bodhi tree has become part of its environment, weathering subtropical downpours and heatwaves, and growing to a great height. 2 Over a period of nearly 15 years, the small sapling has grown into a prominent natural landmark, and every year members of the Chung Tian Temple perform a blessing ceremony as part of Buddha’s Birth Day Festival. 3 The tree is a unique living artwork, swaying in the breeze, changing colour with the seasons and dropping its leaves on the grass below as a community grows and evolves with it. TN 1 The stretch of the Maiwar (Brisbane) River where the cultural precinct is located is known as Kurilpa Point, named after the Kuril (native water rat) and signifying the Indigenous history and significance of the site. 2 Lee Mingwei, quoted in ‘Lee Mingwei: Brisbane interview’, QAGOMA YouTube , 15 December 2010, <youtube.com/watch?v=x70 jnMQy3Fg>, viewed June 2022. 3 The sapling was first taken to Fo Guang Shan Chung Tian Temple (Priestdale) and the members of the temple have since acted as cultural custodians of the Bodhi tree. The annual Bodhi Tree blessing is led by the abbess and venerables of the temple. Lee Mingwei / Bodhi Tree Project 2006 101 100 Shared Shared