Dao Operates Naturally

The Nickle Galleries, 2021, Calgary, Alberta.

The Dao operates in accordance with the natural conditions of all things. This idea first appeared in the book Dao De Jing by Laozi. The ecological view of Daoism emphasizes that humans should coexist with all things in the environment, and it emphasizes the natural balance in the relationship between heaven, earth, and humans; Daoism reminds people to care for nature. The exhibition influences the audience through the visual experience, making them aware of climate change issues caused by plastic pollution. I incorporate Daoist philosophy, climate research, and a blend of Chinese and Western aesthetics to understand the relationship between the artist, the artwork, and the environment.

As an artist, I use my work to demonstrate environmental issues that are unfolding around us in real time, to enhance people's vigilance. My art is both an investigation and a tribute to the natural world. Increasing cultural sensitivity is essential in my research, as it is a means of changing discussions and promoting cultural responses to climate change. Utilizing my own plastic waste, paintings, and photographs, I have been making work that, in an abstract way, creates an emotional tone through the interactive mapping of psychological and historical time and space, provoking humanistic feelings. Climate change is already having an unprecedented impact on a global scale. Greenhouse gas emissions, climate warming, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels have become urgent issues worldwide. The goal is to present viewers a space that is, visually, both alluring and disconcerting, where the state of life is perceived in abstract form.

My exhibited work explores the way people use and dispose of materials in urban environments. I use an intuitive process to let people recognize the waste generated during our daily lives. The installation I have created is comprised of the plastic waste accumulated over a three-month period, giving the audience the opportunity to reflect on industrialization and the negative effects of consumerism. When humans destroy the environment, the environment will leave us with viruses. Those masks on the floor represent the powerless and meaningless remedy.