Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale 2026

Hanna Chang focuses on how discarded plastic does not disappear in nature but changes into different forms over time. She collects pieces of plastic that have been eroded, melted, and broken apart in natural environments until they resemble stones, calling them “New Rocks.” These are human-made materials transformed into new forms through natural processes involving wind, water, plants, and other elements.

New Ecosystem is an installation that presents these collected New Rocks in water tanks and among sand. Look at the New Rocks inside the tanks and scattered through the sand. At first, they may look like stones found in nature, and even up close, it can be difficult to tell that they are plastic. Some sit inside the tanks, while others blend into the sand, as if they had always been part of the natural landscape.

New Rocks can look natural and even beautiful, but once you realize that they are discarded plastic, that beauty can give way to a sense of unease. Through this unsettling experience, Chang reveals a reality in which what we make and what we call nature are becoming increasingly intertwined. The plastic we throw away does not disappear. It remains in nature and becomes entangled with the landscape. Human-made materials become part of the new conditions that nature now faces. New Ecosystem shows that while humans continue to alter nature, nature itself is also constantly changing under the conditions we have created.