LIFE & CULTURE
Traditional Art Form Questioning the Modern Minds:
"RORSCHACH"
ANITA YAN WONG is a specialist in modern and traditional Chinese art. She received her B.A. (Honours) in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and her M.F.A. and M.A. in Digital Photography and Digital Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. Contact her at anitayanwong@gmail.com. “Rorschach”, a series of works inspired by patterns in
nature, conceptually questions individualism in the age of digital art, echoing the German cultural critic Walter Benjamin in his famous essay—The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. This “Rorschach” series offers the viewers a Rorschach test, inviting them to openly question what they see. This invitation asks the viewer to see art with not just the eyes but also the mind. This style of traditional Chinese painting, or guohua, challenges the audience’s
modern minds to appreciate traditional art in digital format. Nowadays, as we display more and more art on screens, we tend to overlook the aura and authenticity of the original works, the smell of ink and the texture of the rice paper. This series is an attempt to bring back the aura in a traditional art form. The subjects of the paintings are chosen for their symbolic meanings, which prompt us to open our minds and think as this traditional art form is reproduced in this magazine as well as on computer screens.
“Message from the black crows” Black crows symbolize xiao, or filial piety, as well as a selfless dedication in Confucianism.
“Message from the clever fruit” Lychee (lizhi) is nearly homophobic to “clever son” (lizi) in Chinese. Thus, this lychee drawing symbolizes fruitfulness and intelligence.
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