“One Health” – the inextricable connection of the health of animals, people and planet – is represented by no single element as much as water. Whether its access to clean water for livestock and our pets, or the rivers flowing through the heartland in which we live, water’s necessity is undeniable and ubiquitous. Artist Zheng Lu’s series Water in Dripping celebrates the transformative power of water, recognizing it as essential to life itself. Water offers inspiration and strength in its movement and invites self-reflection in its stillness.

Zheng Lu (Chinese, b. 1978)
Water in Dripping, River, 2025
Stainless steel
18.4 x 11.5 x 9.2 feet (560 x 350 x 280 cm)

Art Strategies collaborated with our corporate partner, Elanco Animal Health, to select an artwork that honors and represents its new global headquarters and the gateway to the One Health District along the White River.

Water in Dripping, River is Zheng Lu’s first permanent public artwork in the United States. It is presented courtesy of the City of Indianapolis' Public Art for Neighborhoods program.

On 12 September 2025 we celebrated the unveiling of the sculpture with the artist, Elanco team, and community stakeholders. It was a beautiful day!

Artist Zheng Lu and his team from Beijing polishing and preparing the high polished stainless steel sculpture.

Artist Zheng Lu stands next to the finished sculpture with Art Strategies owner and chief curator, Mindy Taylor Ross, Sundaram Tagore Gallery director Susan McCaffrey, and Elanco executive vice president Dave Kinnard.

Creating these sculptures is a meticulous, labor-intensive process that can take months to complete. Zheng Lu begins by studying the natural motion of water droplets using slow-motion video. From these movements, he sculpts a clay mold. Stainless steel sheets are then laser-cut, heated, wrapped around the mold, and welded together. The clay is melted out with further heat, and the final piece is carefully polished. There is a striking duality inherent in the work: stainless steel—a material that is hard and static—is used to capture the softness and fluidity of water.

We are happy to share this progress video of the sculpture being created by Beijing-based artist Zheng Lu.