Monument to the Wise Peel

The Concept

A nutrient-rich orange peel, usually discarded, becomes a metaphor for life’s forgotten layers, like the wisdom of elders.

Monument to the Wise Peels (2026 – New Outdoor Project in Development)

Wise Peels is a new, large-scale outdoor sculpture project currently in development. It expands on my artistic research around citrus peels (PEELed), but is being created as an entirely new work for public space.

The project consists of two to three monumental, freestanding sculptures (2.5 meters high) made of composite materials. These forms transform the often-discarded orange peel into a symbol of resilience, wisdom, and collective memory.

At this stage, Wise Peels exists only as conceptual dream renderings. The exact 2.5m-scale designs and engineering of the sculptures will be developed during the upcoming research and design phase.

This is a completely new project that will be realized for the first time in 2026.

Rooted to the ground, these forms take up space boldly. Some coil protectively inward, while others stretch outward, mimicking the way a peel might land once released. They assert the dignity and complexity of the cast-off, asking viewers to reconsider what is left behind.

In many cultures, citrus fruits symbolize health, abundance, and renewal. The peel, though not always eaten, contains the highest concentration of vitamins, just as the elderly in society hold layers of lived experience, intuition, and ancestral knowledge. Too often, this wisdom is ignored or cast aside, especially in fast-moving, youth-focused urban life. This work is a tribute to that intrinsic, unpolished, and essential knowledge.