About Hear: With an Ear to the Ground by Olga Ziemska
First in Sequence
Design & Materials
The piece features a large human head in a horizontal pose with its ear pressed against the earth. It’s entirely covered with thousands of white river rocks, uniquely merging texture with symbolism to emphasize its connection to the ground.
Origins & Artistic Intention
Originally part of Ziemska’s exhibition at the Morton Arboretum, the sculpture carries over her central theme: “We are nature.” By fusing human form with natural materials, she visually and conceptually blurs the boundary between humans and the Earth.
Symbolic Resonance
The act of listening deeply to the Earth—embodied by the human head pressing its ear to the ground—invites reflection on our need for more attuned, reciprocal relationships with the natural world.
Why It Matters
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About the Artist
Olga Ziemska
Known for her poetic and large-scale site-specific sculptures, Ziemska brings a powerful voice to the global dialogue on art, ecology, and our connection to the natural world.
Ziemska’s work explores the relationship between humanity and nature, challenging viewers to reconsider their place within an interconnected system. Her sculptures dissolve the boundary between body and environment, drawing on themes of ecology, biophilia, panpsychism, materiality, and identity.
