Reinterpretation of Totemic Symbols
A majority of my artworks may fit this category. Papercuts evolved as tools to transcend the material world. In modern day Russia, cut forms have been discovered in the tombs of Scythian warriors dating back to the fifth century CE. Papel Picado, which is Spanish for ‘paper China’, continues to play a role in Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico. In some areas of China, the burning of cutouts have been used in healing rituals. In each tradition, the cutouts are totems intended to evoke the power of the objects or elements they represent. In my compositions, there is often an interplay between different culturally specific references.
Across Chinese communities, motifs of roosters are pasted up during the Spring Festival for protection. They can also be considered a symbol for governance or authority. In 2021, Artisan commissioned a large participatory artwork. The foundation included a rooster crowing at night, which introduced a biblical reference to the demise of St Peter.
I regularly depict fish, which are considered a symbol for wealth in most areas of China. For the Cantonese, prawns are a symbol for happiness. Goldfish are invasive in Australia, and they consume endemic ghost shrimp. Might Asian migrants be considered equally detrimental to the economic environment? For the print exchange Disruption, I embraced a puffer fish for its resemblance to a Covid cell.
In both a literal and metaphorical sense, water is amongst the most significant symbols that recurs in my arts practice. Whilst these motifs can make reference to the literal irrigation of water, they could also connote: contamination, passing time, or a passage for migration.
Finally, florals are popular amongst Chinese papercutters. Innumerable species of flowers are attributed symbolic significance in many cultures. During the mid-2000s, I engaged plastic florals as a metaphor for unsustainability.
