Favourite Fucking Tree
This summer, we invited people around the world to share the story of a tree that has shaped their life. Throughout weeks, CIRCA and Ai Weiwei reshared a selection of our favourite submissions across our social channels, creating a living archive of personal histories rooted in trees from around the world. To mark the closing day of A Tree on 9 September 2026, nine participants were selected to receive a complimentary signed copy of Ai Weiwei’s new limited edition print. Chosen in honour of the number nine, which in Chinese culture symbolises longevity and endurance, the recipients were announced across CIRCA’s channels.
The project took its inspiration from Weiwei’s CIRCA commission, A Tree. A few days before his exhibition at Factory International opened, news broke that the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, believed to be approximately 1,200 years old, had been declared dead. On the Summer Solstice, Weiwei travelled to the Sherwood Forest, where he sat beneath its branches and made his first drawing in fifty years. That drawing became A Tree, a meditation on time, memory, loss and our enduring relationship with the natural world.
As another summer was marked by record temperatures, devastating wildfires and disappearing landscapes, #FavouriteFuckingTree simply asked ‘which tree matters most to you?’. Not because it is famous or extraordinary, but because it has become part of your own life story. Perhaps it stood outside your childhood home, offered shade on the hottest day, witnessed a first kiss, or became a place of refuge, remembrance or return. Long before trees become monuments, they become companions. We invited you to share the story of yours.
#Favouritefuckingtree Winners
Below you will find showcased the winning trees and their stories. You can explore all the entries shared as part of #FavouriteFuckingTree on Instagram, and discover the stories behind the trees that inspired them.
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