a brief intro

The products of being exposed to various cultural influences as a third culture child is a personal motive that runs through my art, which is being international-minded and inclusive. My body of works documents my experiences as a Chinese immigrant in Europe through terms such as “culture erosion”, “lost and found” and “labels”. I let viewers take a peek into my life of diaspora as I commemorate cultural heritage and celebrate kinship. Knowing I was given an exhibition space to display my works, intercommunication between art piece and its viewers were the fundamental aim behind all of my creations. Thus, I incorporated hanging installation, audio, video projection and drawing which fulfilled my goal in delivering a full sensory experience to viewers.

“Unravel”

Medium: Installation (ink and embroidery on paper)
Size: 180mm*3120mm


This piece contains 3 significances, to connect the past and the present, represents a “social ladder” and me unraveling my life to viewers.


The drawings convey milestones of my family’s lives and how various objects became a symbol of wealth in each era. Jessica Rankin’s mental maps inspired me to feature embroidery. The unravelling motion resembling stairs links to social mobility, how my grandparents started as fieldworkers to me studying at an international school while the pile of paper supporting the pamphlet symbolizes education which is a fundamental for social mobility.







“Don’t ask where I’m from, ask where I’m local”
Medium: digital media (video)


Derived from my hobby of video logging, this piece consists of contrasting landscapes of Romania and China, my two homes. I use the term “home” loosely because ironically I find myself a stranger in both countries. I always struggle to answer “Where are you from?” Although my answer is “I’m from China”because I’m ethnically Chinese, I often question the authenticity of my identity. Am I truly Chinese when I find my supposedly mother tongue difficult to speak and write? A lot of third culture children struggle with this so I wish to provoke thinking from viewers through this title. Inspired by Ted talk by Taiye Selasi.

“Labels”

Medium: Gouache on paper
Size: 500*700 cm



Inspired by Lucian Freud, I created a self-portrait that sparked from self-reflection. By using rough brushstrokes and cool tones, I create a stark ambiance in the painting, emphasizing the sense of psychological penetration. I also put on a mocking expression with my eyes rolled back that indicates vacancy and hollowness, to convey the effects of labelling as people lose themselves in the perception of others. In the past, there were times in school when I became a victim of prejudice because I was an ethnic minority. This painting was a response to those moments of prejudice.

“Lost and found”

Medium: Installation of found objects
(school uniform, lost and found tags, embroidery)

Size: unknown

I often use “lost and found” to describe my immigrant identity. I incorporated tags you would typically find on lost property because are metaphorical for my lost cultural identity. I also like the lightweight nature of the paper tags that sway gently with wind and invites viewers to interact with them, primarily inspired by installations of Florence Yee, I filled these tags with details such as postal codes, airport codes, grades and heights which are at times associated to my cultural origin. Meanwhile my school uniform symbolizes international mindedness.

“同气连枝” “of the same breath and branches”
Medium: Digital media (video/animation)

This video resulted from experimenting with digital media. I animated family portraits inspired by movements of nature such as ocean waves. Surrounding the portraits, I included Chinese terms like “family” and “bloodline”, This piece also celebrate kinship and my mother tongue. The breathing sounds in the background fulfills my intention to incorporate sense perception of my audience. When they hear the breathing in correspondence to the animated waves of portraits, they can be in a state of tranquility and feel the strange but wonderful meaning behind human relations.