Without comprehensive understanding, humans attempt to grasp the vast and mysterious force that is nature. As the son of a forester and a contemporary artist, I seek nature’s deeper meaning—yet I believe I will never fully succeed. Through recent experiences, I have come to understand love as a universal energy. It is global, and this energy of love can also guide our efforts to study and understand nature. Everything that nature offers is immeasurably valuable to humankind.

In recent years, I began hunting with my bird dog. The first time I shot a bird, I felt a complex blend of gratitude and anxiety. That moment deepened my awareness of how heavily we exploit nature in pursuit of capital. My goal is to find a way to give something back to nature, although I know this may be an impossible task. But what if, after all, I am part of nature?

This project, Natural Alchemy With a Cocktail of Love, explores alchemy, energy, love, our relationship with nature and community, and the cycle and purpose of life. I believe that life is eternal in the spiritual sense. Traditionally, alchemy aimed to create gold or attain eternal life. Alchemists believed they could expand the realm of spiritual light by reducing the influence of matter perceived as dark.

I believe that “spiritual light” is a metaphor for understanding the universe, for connecting humans with nature—and with one another. The quest for eternal life is closely tied to our fear of death and the need to control. But confronting personal trauma is the key to a life filled with joy and light. In this way, alchemy resembles love. Both are “forever.” As long as a human walks the Earth, love exists, and the soul lives on.

This body of work is rooted in visions, scenes, images, and encounters that have appeared to me in my dreams. Upon waking, I write them down, feel into their meanings, and over time, certain images stay with me—eventually realized through photography. At its core, this work is about uncovering the essence of myself—the soul that lies beneath all developmental trauma, false thoughts, and attachments.

Without a loving relationship with nature, humans become selfish and greedy, fulfilling the core logic of capitalist society: to be a productive cog in the machine, while neglecting nature, environmental responsibility, and focusing solely on capital.

This ongoing photographic work explores the intersection of alchemy and ecological well-being. Humanity depends on nature—yet nature does not need humanity. How can the alchemical pursuit of “eternal life” be reimagined as a tool for sustaining nature, community, and the environment? How might this concept benefit individuals? What will it mean to love nature in the future? Can the core idea of alchemy—eternal life—be realized continuously, in the present moment?