Curatorial Rationale
My art hopes to convey aspects of the Chinese culture. In order to do this, I focused on the symbolism of specific objects or animals that have traditional significance to the culture. I looked to my personal past experiences, as well as many traditions to explore and gain insight into my culture. I hope my exhibition will allow viewers to see the beauty in a culture other than their own.
The vision for presenting my work was to display the artwork in an order that would maximize viewer understanding of the symbolism of each piece individually, and the connections each piece has with each other. My aim for this order is to start with the inanimate objects that also have symbolism in cultures outside of my own, allowing for viewers to understand the meaning behind shared items before moving to those that have a more specific connection to Chinese culture. Pieces such as ‘Sip After Sip’ and ‘Celebrate’ contain items that have the ability to draw the viewer in and connect with them. It opens up an opportunity for the viewer to connect with my work before I move onto pieces like ‘Liveliness’ or ‘Youthfulness’ that can introduce them to the elegance of the Chinese culture.
I began the exhibition with ‘Lunar New Year’ as I felt it most accurately portrayed the entire collection. This is the first piece because it is a still life depicting items used in one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar. Moving onto the next piece ‘Sip After Sip’ seemed like the most natural transition since it also displays an essential aspect of the culture. Along the same lines as this work, ‘Celebrate’ also includes a scene that emphasizes the connections people can have with each other because of shared cultural traditions. In all these works, color is an important aspect to the message and symbolism.
Placing ‘Illuminate’ was initially quite difficult because I was not sure how and when I wanted this sculpture to be seen. Ultimately, I decided to place it towards the middle of my exhibition in order to centralize the piece and fit it into the sequence of artworks. Seeing as this is my only three dimensional piece, placing it in the middle of the exhibition was the best way to balance the exhibition and mediums used.
Moving into the next pieces, I decided to keep my series intact in the order I created them. The connection between ‘Serenity,’ ‘Liveliness,’ and ‘Resemblance’ with the animals unquestionably illustrates the symbolism between these animals and the Chinese culture. From the vibrant colors used in the first piece, to the textures in the second piece and the patterns in the third piece, this series utilizes different media that most accurately portrays the animals. The technique in ‘Serenity’ highlights the peacefulness and harmony one would experience while watching a pond of koi fish, while the embroidery techniques in ‘Liveliness’ highlights the power and fierceness of the lion. ‘Resemblance’ being the only work in the exhibition that contains no color is important to the story behind the work. The twelve Chinese zodiac animals in this piece was created with the ancient folk story of the heavenly gate race, individually showing the distinction of each animal but as a whole work, calls importance to the entire cycle of animals.
I chose the final work in the exhibition to be ‘Youthfulness.’ As my only work with a person as the main subject, I saw the importance of concluding the exhibition with the idea of the passage of traditions and cultures through generations. The child’s innocence and youthfulness in the work allows the viewer to see the Chinese culture through the perspective of a child. This work also explores the symbolism of the clothing, which is also an item that is passed down from the adults or the elderly to the children.
I intend for the audience to learn about the Chinese culture through my works and to observe the beauty and significance of objects in relation to the many traditions or stories. In addition, this exhibition is for the audience to fully consider and appreciate the beauty of my culture. I hope the audience will find joy and happiness in the works, yet also continue to seek the urge to learn about newer, more unfamiliar cultures. I would like the audience to leave with a sense of admiration and an understanding of how tradition and culture connects people to one another.