Glittering Space, mixed media, LED lights, dimensions variable, 2010

The furniture and household items I use in this work are all from the gaige kaifang or Reform and Opening Up period (after ‘79). At that time, China was in a stage of rapid development, but it was an awkward period for art and culture. The cultural legacy left by China’s Ming and Qing Dynasties collided with the European cultural influence that had begun to have an impact on China; the two cultures then blended and formed another new culture; this phenomenon became more and more prevalent and was later referred to as “haipai.”

Haipai culture is rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the cultures of the Wu and Yue civilizations in the South and elements of China’s other regional cultures. It has also absorbed elements of Western culture, combining all of these elements to create a new, unique personality.

This time, I am using dots of light to display the techniques of the masters of Chinese landscape paintings and now I’ve created a modern way to show ancient Chinese paintings. While this may seem awkward, they nonetheless attempt to uphold a spirit of beauty.

I chose to paint on these everyday items after discovering that some early literati wrote poems and created artworks on all kinds of household goods without any restrictions on the medium. Although these household goods became priceless artworks for future generations, the literati were not vain – their painting on household items was a mere expression of their boundless freedom and their devil may care attitudes.

 
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