This series of creative digital photocollages with its changing imaginaries as well as
contour outlines tracked my personal visual transformations in 2020 over 8.5 months
living in pandemic-induced solitude.
Each work organically unfolded into an ordinary household item, for example, a teacup,
an expired credit card, a foldable fan, or a flag created for an imagined homeland. The
flag bears three colors symbolizing the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity, inspired
by Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's film trilogy. Binge-viewing films during the
lockdown, I drew creative inspiration from works by prominent directors worldwide
instead of static visual artworks. Only a few pieces retained their original experimental
appearance resembling the simple barcode found on commercial commodities.
From the animal world, the monkey emerged, representing my self-identified role as a
contemporary court jester in the context of agenda-packed department meeting after
meeting. Meanwhile, the manifestation of the legendary Chinese mythological ghost-
catcher Zhongkui could extend to another of my alter-egos as a keyboard warrior in the
guise of a faculty member who is required to engage in endless computer-related tasks
during the academic year. Two action figures took turns posing as a father figure with
unquestioned authority. They included a terra cotta army general and my own charcoal
rendering of Michelangelo's Moses.
An ironic tone permeates this series which indirectly reflects the contemporary
international power struggles and political confusion I absorbed from regular exposure
to news reports and broadcasts. Creating the series initiated the healing process for me
to untangle twisted thoughts and soothe unsettled feelings, hence the title for this show:
dissect * enmesh * revive.