Title: In the Corner

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 18”x24”

Red and green are traditional colors of China and holds significant meanings. At first glance, our attention is captured by the colors; however, our gaze immediately falls upon the head that is fixated on the wall. The severed head looks like it’s consecrated, yet in reality, it represents people that are worshiping something putrefied. The dispersed hair on the head refers to people in the Qing dynasty, symbolizing the concept of death since in the Qing dynasty, the only time people are seen with their hair down is after their death. On the left, there’s a trace of a painted Chinese vase that has been covered up by the green. This represents the history that people try to hide, yet it is still faintly visible, just like memories of those who suffered. The red cabinet sitting below the head indicates bloodshed and sacrifice, fully tinted by the blood of those who passed. The cabinet is also an incubator, giving birth to a dubious creature seen on the floor. This is to allude to the idea of some people’s power being questionable similar to how it is questionable that this cabinet can give birth to this creature. This painting symbolizes the controversies in the culture I grew up in, how society conceals its history through glamor and modernism. Only when we look specifically into the hidden “corner” of the culture can we see the truth.