YIDA

I was born and grew up in a small town dominated by Hakka culture, the essence of which lies in its veneration of the elderly, reverence for ancestors, and strong emphasis on kinship ties. Within this cultural context, clan relationship plays significant role in shaping people’s perception of love and family — it provides financial and emotional support but is also accompanied with hierarchy, repression and violence. I want to draw attention to the complexity of love experience within this cultural group, taking painting as the medium of examine interpersonal relationships, dilemmas and individual struggles that people encounter in each stages of life.

Since the ancestors of the Hakka people originated from the Central Plains region in China, and Hakka culture emerged through the process of migration and interaction with other cultures, this cultural development shares significant commonalities with both Central Plains culture and Cantonese culture, making Hakka culture a microcosm of broader Chinese cultural traditions. Therefore, though rooted in Hakka culture and my personal experience, I aim to present dilemmas of a bigger cultural group, with the focus on intimacy, alienation and violence.