Sneak Peek, 2020
Styrofoam, Mixed media | Dimension Variable | TANK, Shanghai
June, 2020 (Chongming, Shanghai)
During Covid period I was back to china, spending a long time doing quarantine which allowed me to rediscover my familiar surroundings through careful observation both indoors and outdoors. I became particularly attentive to the intricacies of security and anti-theft devices, which seemed to reflect the socio-economic status of the area. In Shanghai, significant disparities exist among these devices. For example, in the rural areas (where I stayed at a friend's place in Chongming for a while after the quarantine period), there is an abundance of iron or stainless steel security doors and windows. At first glance, these metallic objects may seem unremarkable, but beneath their ordinary appearance, it appears they conceal a complex set of nuanced and intimate relationships. This includes the decorative symbols embedded on them, mostly carrying auspicious, wealth-attracting, and warding-off-evil meanings, which starkly differ from those found in the urban environment. My curiosity led me to examine the visual characteristics of these security structures and how residents engage with them, incorporating these observations into my art making.
Kite Project - A Fish You Have Already Caught
Hasting seaside, July, 2020
which was then printed onto one of the kites.