Prosperity
My work consists of intricately handmade porcelain butterflies sewn on Chinese dresses.
The idea came from living in China for over 10 years and experiencing life in the vast country. From afar, people can look at China and see a country with people almost looking the same. But if you look closely, China has many complex personalities, many different cultures mixed into one large pot.
The Chinese words are made out of characters consisting of many strokes. Each stroke by itself means nothing, but when the strokes are put into patterns they make up words. The Chinese uses this kind of method of putting things together in daily life as well. The art of ceramic making is unique in the world; specialized skill workers put together and make one piece of fine work.
Chinese believe in looking at the positive aspects of life and not dwell on the negative. Auspicious symbols are placed in homes to bring good luck and happiness. Even in the darkest times, people look into the future with positive hope. They use symbols such as bats, deer and peaches because these words sound like fortune, prosperity and longevity.
I have called my butterfly outfits “Prosperity” also because “Clothing” and “Prosperity” are pronounced the same way “fu”. These outfits from afar look just like a dress, but when you look closely at the butterflies they are all unique and different. This is a China!
The Hidden Virtues and Frame of Mind
My work examines symbols of China. Historical silk (cloth), ceramics and tea are exported all over the world and are important commodities of trade and influences in culture. In the past I have used the Han dynasty style dresses from Wei and Jin dynasties as inspiration for my symbols, with ceramic butterflies sewn on them, depicting the incredible skill and craftsmanship of the Chinese.
In this new “Hidden Virtues” series, I am exploring Chinese calligraphy and virtues using handmade porcelain butterflies in different shades depicting one virtue in two metres large panels, also common fun words in smaller panels.
The Chinese characters consist of many strokes. Each stroke by itself means nothing, but when they are put together they make up words.The Chinese uses this kind of method of putting things together in daily life also. The art of ceramic making is unique in the world; specialized skill workers put together and make one piece of fine work. By putting thousands of hand made butterflies in this piece, there is a force and unity in numbers.
The Chinese believe in looking at the positive aspects of life and not dwell on the negative. Auspicious symbols are placed in homes to bring good luck and happiness. They use symbols such as bats, deer and peaches because these words sound like fortune, prosperity and longevity. Virtues are also emphasized as a framework to build a better society. There is a touch of sarcasm, as I believe while it is important to have these virtues, most of us have lost touch with them and are now rediscovering the true meaning of them.
In these panels, the color difference is subtle, so from afar, you cannot see the words as if it is hidden. Only the people who look carefully will see words of wisdom pop up. I hope the viewer will spend hours looking deeply at the pieces, like how we should look deeper at the meaning of each word.
I will be using different styles of calligraphy for each word, from Kai Style of ancient China to contemporary style invented by me, each word is visually interesting and meaningful.
“I hope the viewer will spend hours looking deeply at the pieces, like how we should look deeper at the meaning of each word.”