Last summer, a vertical park with 56 elevated “petals” emerged in Xi’an, China, as part of the city’s ambitious Center Culture Business District (CCBD). As it turns out, the structure, which is dubbed the Xi’an Tree, is not just an architectural marvel‚ but also an unexpected backdrop for public art. That fact wasn’t lost on the Spanish artist SpY, who recently unveiled a monumental installation nestled right beside the Xi’an Tree.
Aptly titled Divided, the luminous sculpture takes the form of a sphere split in two identical halves, both bathed in an intense red glow. These hemispheres are contained within an industrial scaffolding, one that closely resembles those reserved for construction projects. When juxtaposed against the sphere’s soft curvature, this angular, metal cage exceeds its traditional purpose and connotation, transforming into something that feels more fluid and welcoming compared to an actual construction site.
In many ways, Divided is an invitation to reflect both from afar and, perhaps more importantly, from up-close. After all, SpY insists that the project is incomplete without audience participation. The installation ultimately encourages visitors to walk through the sliver between its two halves, entering a corridor suffused with red light. Once inside this rift, one is entirely enveloped within the installation’s glow, becoming a sort of connecting point between two discrete parts. This journey, according to the artist, is one of shifting perspectives, in which viewers “inhabit a suspended space of light where the tension between fragmentation and unity is direct, physical, and emotional.”
“Proximity to the curved surfaces, the chromatic intensity, and the radiant light alter the perception of space, blurring references of scale and distance,” SpY explains. “The human body thus becomes a measure, confronted with a form that, although fragmented, retains a monumental and imposing presence.”
The work’s setting enhances the experience, offering yet another point of contrast. The Xi’an Tree is equally inventive in its silhouette, towering behind Divided with its cascading gardens at varying roof levels. The tree’s organic, irregular roofs almost seem to burst out of the contained sphere, as if growing from its interstice. The result is highly contemporary and site-specific, challenging passersby to engage with their surroundings in a completely new way.
Divided is part of SpY’s Earth series, which also includes the eponymous Earth and Confronted. Both works also play with themes of containment, fragmentation, geometry, and spatial conflict, integrating red light to influence their environments. The artist’s Earth series has been presented in cities around the world, ranging from Madrid and Athens to Riyadh and Ghent.
“SpY interpellates viewers while engaging them as active subjects in the artistic process,” the artist’s biography reads. “His projects dialogue with the urban environment, disrupt its daily routines, and explore it as a playing field full of untapped possibilities.”
To learn more about the artist behind Divided, visit SpY’s website.
For his latest site-specific project, SpY created a monumental, luminous sphere divided into two identical halves, situated in the heart of Xi’an.
Titled Divided, the installation encourages visitors to walk between its two halves and enter a corridor suffused with intense red light.
