heavens have one sun; mortals have one way
天无二日，人无二理 (2023)

This multimedia installation reminds us that we all see from a perspective where some things are visible while others are invisible. Employing handmade papers and animations to remix ancient Seal Script Chinese characters, appropriated instructional materials, and diagrammatic family portraits, I re-enroll myself in my past education to re-consider and re-create what it means to be a child. The sign “child” (zi 子) is shared by the Chinese words in this work and conveys various meanings when combined with different signs. Ultimately, this work helped me process my adverse childhood experiences and gain perspective and sympathy for my parents.

Our early experiences formed the basis through which we interpret subsequent ones. This work embodies multi-layered perspectives and my attempt to re-form myself. Central to the installation are hybrid pieces where projected animations stack atop multi-laminated handmade papers. Thanks to handmade papers’ semitranslucency and animations’ light, hidden images become visible as the viewer moves from the front to the back, and the perceived information reverses as a whole. According to art historian Jennifer L. Roberts, reversal “engenders critique, a refusal of the status quo, and the insight that every form is accompanied by its reverse.” Ultimately, these pieces’ multi-dimensionality provides many perspectives and allows the viewer to choose.

The language we use to discuss the world influences our perceptions. My bilingual proficiency is crucial to reshaping my inherited framework of meaning. This work uses Chinese characters and appropriated instructional materials to hint at the cultural beliefs I critique. Most general audiences wouldn’t fully grasp the Chinese words. Total comprehension is improbable even with translation, which always involves gains and losses. Translation’s symbolism of understanding and misunderstanding adds to the theme of perspective; I am less concerned with precisely conveying mine than encouraging the viewers to engage with theirs.

Installation Views | Hybrid Artworks | Family Portraits | Others