Nüwa is Pregnant II
2012
100% cotton paper, painted with Chinese tea and ink, hand cut
420 x 240 cm, 2 units

Nüwa, who appears as a goddess in ancient Chinese mythology.

In today’s society, when a woman becomes pregnant, people commonly see it as hope and promise for a bright future. At first glance at Nüwa is Pregnant II, viewers are confronted by a wall of carved shapes, suspended from the ceiling to floor, with light beams radiating through its hollow spaces. However, upon closer examination of this work, one sees chaos – dissected organs, a heart, hands, a womb, genitals, all scattered amongst snakes, organic life forms, bushes, thorns and deformed fruits. Simultaneously, it reveals machines, sand-timers, bombs, tubes, electrical wiring replacing tree branches, and micro cameras implanted in natural objects. Such a grotesque and monstrous scene indicates that this pregnancy is not one to be longed for.

The title is in part ironic. Transforming hope into psychological anxiety, it questions the value of morality and subverts notions of profound fertility. If black and white are interchangeable, then, hypothetically, as the natural element loses its value, its mechanical counterpart substitutes. The work subtly proposes the modern world as a product of a disrupted yin-yang.

My work conceals and reveals the spontaneous movement of the shadow: a metaphorical and illusive form that whilst ungraspable and obscure, can stimulate questioning, emotions and a wide range of interpretations.

The way I work is both sensual and conscious of control. When I intuitively cut through the surface, I experience a sense of ‘killing’; simultaneously, I give ‘birth’.

Based on personal experiences, I create art to engage with social problems: each cut sheds some light, exposing what people in society confront each day.

Critical Thinking: Research + Art + Culture, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, 2012
Snake, Snake, Snake Exhibition, Sydney Town Hall, 2013
Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award, 2013
Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, 2017