Transcending (Quadriptych) - Chinese paint, ink, oil, rice paper on canvas, 224 x 338 cm (Overall) , 224x 77cm (Each Panel), 2024
My quadriptych paintings explore various forms of separation within Chinese society, such as empty nesters, left-behind children, drifters in big cities or abroad (like me), and Generation Z's gradual departure from traditional Chinese core values.
(From right to left)
The first painting explores the theme of empty nesters in China. It is inspired by the mythical animals often depicted on the roof tiles of traditional Chinese architecture. These creatures symbolize protection for the building and its occupants. I compared the left-behind older generation to these mythical creatures. For those who have ventured far from home, there exists a kind of guardian—the love of those who remain behind, safeguarding the home and patiently awaiting their return.
The second painting explores the theme of left-behind children in underdeveloped areas. This used to be a serious social problem in terms of the mental health and educational resources available to these children. After years of improvement, the number has been reduced to 9 million, but there is still a long way to go. The painting is inspired by a film titled 'A Childhood Gazing Towards the Southern Horizon,' which depicts the life of left-behind children in the deep mountains of North China, most of whose parents have gone to Shenzhen, a mega city in South China, for work.
The third painting depicts drifters in big cities or abroad (like me). In China, we describe this group of people as duckweed, which floats on the water without roots and follows the current. Most of the time, they are away from home and only go back once a year, probably only during Chinese New Year. This is almost the same frequency as me, someone who lives abroad.
The last one explored on the Generation Z's gradual departure from traditional Chinese core values. They don’t follow the tradition of hard work, for example, the work cultural like “996” as well as the routine of the life which is considered a good life by older generations. They accept being ordinary and live for themselves, like an elevated and active version of “lying flat”.