Degree Show Exhibition

Growing up in a hustle and bustle city, my life has been surrounded by different noises. All the judgements and criticisms put pressure on my shoulder. I have been cautious for any choices I make, fear that I made a wrong discission. Spending time in the natural environment allowed me to have a time off from the reality, gain a sense of relieve, and enjoy my moments with the nature. The collection of works investigates on the vague boundary of the known and unknown results. It is a collaboration between myself and the natural phenomena.

I used a paper marbling technique with Chinese ink (water marbling method, shui tuo fa) for my paintings, the animal hide glue and pine resin within the ink form a thin layer of film on the water surface. By swirling the ink, a marble pattern is formed, leaving a remarkable trace that resembles water ripples and rock strata. I am captivated by the results created, as the amount and position of the ink are controlled by me, but the flowing direction and the marks created are beyond my scope. Each work is unique, is almost like developing a film which I have no idea how it will end up looking till it dries. Xuan paper was chosen to be the medium for portraying my concept. Because of its special characteristics — delicate, translucent and fine textured. With the beam of sunlight penetrating through and the movement as the audience walks by every painting, it gives out a raw sensation.

Throughout this time, I have been reflecting my position in the nature and my connection with it. It is interesting in how we perceive and interact with each other. Looking at the past, our ancestors worshipped and feared of the nature. In mythologies and the present , some worship natural phenomena as Gods and pray for protection. Nature deity is in charge of natural forces. It dominates our fate; it can nurture us, it is capable to destroy us. In modern society nature it-self has been interfered by humans, with technology we can control, manage the ecological system, we can predict and get alarmed of disasters. The “nature “now we have access to, is mostly modified by humans. So I questioned myself: Is this truly natural? Even though we have advanced technologies at our fingertips, allowing us to modify the environment to meet our purposes and requirements, we cannot alter the structure or traces of nature. The pattern of rocks and cliffs, the flow of water and waves, the stem of leaves and petals are all impossible to be converted and duplicated.