Spirit (2023)

ink on cut rice paper, acrylic medium, approx. 120 x 120 x 15 in (300 x 300 x 38 cm)

I created this after I moved to Taiwan and began learning how to write in Chinese, as well as express the language artistically through calligraphy. The piece consists of the character, 神 (shén), which means spirit, god, or soul — written in ancient seal script calligraphic form. Written hundreds of times, I have cut out the two parts of the character and glued these respective parts together to form each part of the piece. In creating this, I was inspired by the multiple ways in which this character can be used — in referring to a god, or own’s own inner spirit and mind. I also wanted this piece to be a meditation on the root of this character’s visual form — straight and linear on one side, curved and feminine on the other. While my practice has long explored the intersection of art and language by taking apart text in the English language, this piece is the first one in which I have explored the use of Chinese and my relationship to this language.