Auspicious
Recycled wool, mahjong tiles, ceramic bowl, bamboo chopsticks
Red has long held important associations in Chinese culture. The invisible red thread (红线) of fate that eventually unravels, leading us to our fated one. The colour red that wards off the beast of the new year and other evils. The red that brings us good luck and fortune. The red of the family bloodline. The red of the revolution...
Now combine this symbolism with noodles, whose length represents a long and healthy life, giving rise to 长寿面 (lit. longevity noodles), that I've created out of chain stitches. The ends of the noodles are then attached to mahjong tiles, where the numbers correspond to the following Chinese slang:
5 5 5 (五五五 - wú wú wú), is similar to: (呜呜呜 - wū wū wū), which sounds like tearful crying.
1 3 1 4 (一三一四 - yī sān yī sì), is similar to: (一生一世 - yī shēng yī shì) which means 'forever' or literally one's lifetime.
It's funny how we can both believe in the strength of our own autonomy and also surrender ourselves to fate. We are a product of our history, but we feel that we are different. We will make our own choices, but we expect fate to protect us regardless. We experience things by chance, but then rationalise that it was inevitable. We promise each other forever, but we have no notion of what that is. We could be happy but sad.
For my solo exhibition Take-away, the artwork has since returned to find its home within the original case for my grandmother's mahjong tiles. Another box of memories, filled with many carefree summer days, of lying down on my front, on her bed, the soft clacking of paired tiles, in her quiet warmth. I wonder what she would think of it being put on display. A small knot tying a thread of her life to mine.
2024
