"Earth breathes flowers, so that it could take our breath away" – Anita Yan Wong
Title: "Preserved"
Medium: Rice paper painting (Lingnan Guo Hua)
"A broken butterfly wing, a bunch of fallen leaves on the path way, a cicadas shell on a tree, some strangely grown twigs and pressed flower bookmarks from my childhood friend: I find these preserved objects beautiful and precious. I have preserved these strange finds from nature under glass with backgrounds of “Lingnan Guo hua”, rice paper paintings in Southern China, one of the most important art form, developed in the 19th century with the influence from art in Japan and the Impressionist that honors Nature. They are given a second life and are frozen in time with new meanings under the glass, they tell stories of their existence and lives. Rice paper painting along with Calligraphy was once a common practice among all Chinese is seen by some as a dying art form. As a Hong Kong American artist, I want to preserve it, cherish it and bring it to life with new ideas and creative thinkings. The title "Preserved" contains the meaning of preserving Nature as well as the traditional art form of "Lingnan Guo hua", both fragile but beautiful, both need to be protected and preserved.
