AWAKENINGS ON HIGHLANDS
I was born in China and immigrated to New Zealand with my parents at the age of 14. I then spent my university years in Australia. The multiple locations confused the formation of my sense of personal identity and raised questions about where I belonged until I took a year off from school and returned to my native place to travel around and embark on a journey in search of answers.
The answers for me were finally found in Tibet. Searching for this sense of belonging and finding, inner peace is the thing that I aspire to the most. It has nothing to do with where I was born or where I live.
In this series of paintings, I unpack memories of my journey to Tibet. Buddhist ideas about the power of nature, the sacred atmosphere, fate and desire all contributed to the process of ‘finding myself’.
Painting is used as a device for connecting memories and thoughts. Some of them present a certain moment that has made a profound impression on my mind, while others show a period of time or recollections of a journey. The Tibetan antelope, which keeps appearing in each of my paintings, is a rare animal and is considered lucky in Tibetan culture, it also symbolises my own desire and quest on this spiritual journey.