Concept

The works in this exhibition are mainly made from the waste and second-hand goods that I found in Taipei. These old things have a “pathos” presence that new things don't have. I collected "pathos of things" by my intuition, also research on the history of traditional textile in Taiwan. Rusted nails on the roadside, an iron fence discarded in the forest, weeds cut by a mowing man and pieces of clothes piled up in cardboard at the morning market, I experimented with using these materials to dye the old clothes by boiling weeds in hot water and rusted metal.
In Japan, there’s a concept called “Mono no Aware”. "Mono no aware" means "the pathos of things", and also translated as "an empathy toward things", or "a sensitivity to ephemera", is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence, or transience of things.
When the one’s heart is impressed by "Object(Mono)" and "Memory (Koto)", the emotions, called "Pathos (Aware)", are born. The ancient Japanese think that when all emotions deeply resonate with a person's heart, “Object (Mono)”, “Memory (Koto)” and the person's heart come together as one. That state is a perception of "Mono no Aware."
The “Object (Mono)” I collected here have a profoundly remaining “Memory (Koto)” such as climate memories, time memories, and anonymous personal memories. I made a work by interacting with those materials. When I was touching these abandoned objects, they appealed to me with various emotions, such as warmth, sadness, and anger. Things are just silent, but they show emotions. It seems like a mirror reflecting my heart.
Anonymous “object (Mono)” that we do not know when and who used them makes an opportunity to imagine about the past “Memory (Koto)”. It appeals deeply to the human hearts who live today.