静域
Serene Realm
video, 07:49 min, 1080p, 2023
Serene Realm, artist book, ongoing
Jiaqi Mao is creating a book—a curated collection of her grandmother's artwork. After tending to her family and raising children, the grandmother found the time to dedicate herself to her cherished passion, Chinese traditional painting. In her family's traditional setting, while her grandfather published novels and poetry, her grandmother's artwork was not permitted to be published. This has led her to view the publication of her grandmother's art as an act of rebellion against patriarchal authority.
Having never ventured into bookmaking before, especially within the realm of photography, the compilation of an artist's work into a book is one of the most prominent endeavors. Witnessing numerous compelling art books has instilled in her the desire to complete such a project.Given that all of her grandmother's paintings were executed on rice paper, the production of this book inevitably involves a deep exploration of rice paper and the characteristics of traditional Chinese paper. However, she is aware that in New York, it is challenging to find exceptionally high-quality Chinese rice paper. This is due to the perception of rice paper as an antiquated material, as contemporary artistry often leans toward newer media. Nevertheless, her original intent is to revitalize this material by amalgamating it with her grandmother's technique, ensuring the preservation and rejuvenation of its vitality.Walking in close proximity to Manhattan's Chinatown, she inhabits a complex environment, interwoven with traditional lifestyles brought by Chinese immigrants and the pioneering artistic temperament of the Lower East Side. She intends to gather materials from this intricate world for the creation of her grandmother's art collection while concurrently documenting her experiences in New York for the production of a video piece. This video narrative commences with a granddaughter's contemporary artistic approach to editing her grandmother's traditional paintings into a book. However, it oscillates through various themes such as the connection of female lineage, feminism, family history, the loss of traditional culture, and intergenerational conflicts.Jiaqi's project represents her distinctive exploration, aimed at capturing the ties between family, culture, and creation, while simultaneously celebrating the value and beauty of traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Through this endeavor, she aspires to breathe new life into her grandmother's artwork and the traditional Chinese rice paper, bringing them into the contemporary art spotlight.