A plant sculpture by a Polish artist has joined the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou.

July 24, 2026

Marcin Rusak's tropical plant sculpture, "Protoplasting Nature 05," has joined the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The work is part of the Protoplasting Nature series, which explores experiments with plant matter and the natural processes of transience.

The Protoplasting Nature series utilizes real plants—not as decoration, but as an integral part of the structure. Large tropical leaves wrap around a hand-welded steel frame, creating sculptural forms inspired by both organic shapes and ornate antique furniture.

In the collection, depending on the implementation, two processes take place: some objects expose the plant matter and allow it to transform naturally, while others permanently preserve the exotic leaves thanks to a thermal coating made of zinc or bronze.

In the case of "Protoplasting Nature 05," which is part of the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the botanical layer has been treated only enough to slow the oxidation process. The leaves continue to change and will continue to change, shifting from intense greens to warm ochre tones.

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      Marcin Rusak

      Marcin Rusak was born in 1987 in Warsaw, Poland. He holds undergraduate degrees in humanities from the University of Warsaw and in art from the Eindhoven Design Academy in the Netherlands, as well as an MA in Design Products from London’s Royal College of Arts. He currently works out of London and Warsaw. With an experimental practice that merges contemporary art and design, Rusak draws inspiration from theoretical research and philosophical inquiry as well as from explorations of material processes in the studio. Influenced by his family lineage as a third generation descendant of flower growers after his father and grandfather, he has developed signature techniques using plant flora as a striking decorative element within his work, preserving flowers and leaves in resin which are fused seamlessly into his thoughtful modern pieces. Each piece is unique, conserving the ephemeral shades and textures of petals and leaves, which float suspended in beautiful contrast with the smooth white, black or clear resin encasing them. Rusak is also adept at creating minimal designs in metal, carving materials to their bare elements to create elegant, rugged forms. In addition to his exquisite design furniture, Rusak produces artworks on silk using colorful flower pigmentation, resulting in simple and delicate pieces marked by bright natural abstract formations. Still in the emerging phase of his career, Rusak is already the recipient of numerous industry awards including the Mazda Design Award, the Architectural Digest Design Award, the Wallpaper Design Award, and the Perrier-Jouet Arts Salon Prize, among others. He was recently selected as a part of #AD100. He has held solo exhibitions at Twenty First Gallery in New York as well as at galleries in London, Miami, and Brussels. His work has also appeared in a number of group exhibitions at prestigious venues in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, including the V&A London, the London Design Festival, Design Miami Basel, Design Days Dubai, and Japan’s Toyama Museum of Art and Design.

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