The Visual Beyond Closed Eyes

Eyes closed may imply sleeping, dreaming, the state of unconsciousness. It may also be a passive state, a refusal to show emotions. In my work, I use these possibilities to explore topics of identity and reality as perceived through various states of consciousness.

Utilizing the structural and metaphoric potential of materials including bra straps, silk, hair, metal locks and coat hangers, I create assemblages that explore my interest in perception and the subconscious. In Ritual, the bed frame demarcates an enclosure where we shift from conscious to unconscious, from the third dimensionality of the outside world into its zero dimensionality. The ontological existence of spacelessness and timelessness when we are in the dream resembles the fetus stage. Is this ritual of rest and rise solely physical, or have we reconnected with our naked self as in the womb, preparing us to perform in our persona for another day?

In the two-dimensional works, the featureless blackout faces of the figures are specifically tied to identity and the history of Hong Kong. Physiognomy has a long history in human cultures and physiognomic inferences include personality, character and even the destiny of the person. The silhouette images lack any inferences of emotion and identity. Costume is the only visual language. Combing period European fashion with traditional Chinese costume, the work does not merely illustrate a combination of cultures take place in Hong Kong, but specifies the paradox of constructing void identity.