Starting Year: 2015;
Provenance: Mallorca, Spain;
Container: Stainless Steel Fruit Bowl 30cm x 30cm x 16cm;
Source: Yamadori;

Style: Half-cascade literati;
Height: 30cm;
Width: 84cm;
Estimated Age: 45 years old;

Pot is a fruit bowl by Philippi, 30x30x16cmKnown as “The Hovering Bonsai,” this Olea europaea var. sylvestris embodies a modern reinterpretation of bonsai aesthetics. Estimated at 45–65 years old, the tree was originally found in Mallorca around 2015. Its design began in 2017, culminating in its first public appearance at the Berlin Bonsai Exhibition in 2019. Since then, it has become an emblematic piece within the artist’s signature presentation concept, the Modern Living Style.

The tree is shaped in a half-cascade literati form—light, elegant, and intentionally minimal. Rather than relying on mass or age to convey presence, it communicates through movement, balance, and negative space. Its slender trunk and suspended foliage create the illusion that the tree is floating, giving rise to its name. The result is a composition that feels effortless yet precise, a miniature sculpture that plays with gravity and spatial tension.

A key element of its identity is the container: a stainless-steel fruit bowl designed by Philippi, measuring 30 × 30 × 16 cm. This unconventional choice reinforces the philosophy of Modern Living Style, a presentation approach that situates bonsai within contemporary urban aesthetics. Here, the tree is treated as a design object—an artwork meant to live alongside modern architecture, curated lighting, and clean interiors. The aim is not to replicate traditional settings, but to frame the bonsai as one might display sculpture or modern art in European museums.

Measuring 16 cm in height and 47 cm in width, the tree’s compact proportions contrast strikingly with the industrial, reflective surface of its container. The resulting dialogue between natural form and modern material is central to its visual impact.

Often displayed during Open Garden Days in an outdoor tokonoma built for contemporary presentation, the tree is accompanied by light, shadows, and modern artistic elements that enhance its hovering effect. In this setting, it becomes both bonsai and installation: a fusion of botanical refinement, design philosophy, and sculptural expression.