Wiktor Szostalo

Born 22 August 1952 in Pasvalys, Lithuanian SSR, (Lithuania), in 1958 he moved with his parents and younger brother Józef to Kołobrzeg, Poland.

Szostalo's Tree Hugger Project, begun in 2005, is an ongoing work of environmental art conceived along with the artist Agnieszka Gradzik.

With the help of participants on site, who gather branches, twigs, vines and flowers, the artists fashion together these natural materials into groups of figures literally "hugging" trees.

[3] Installations of the project are sponsored by local environmental or arts related organizations and have occurred in cities across Europe, in England, and in the United States.

[10] According to the artist's website a large installation was scheduled for 2008/9 in India, with the participation of several environmental groups from around the world, to commemorate the Chipko women.