Drawing from the imagery of the Chinese radical "艸," lush, thriving plants, I have selected four herbaceous plants that hold profound significance in both Chinese and Western cultural histories. Through them, I explore the complex narratives that plants carry within the flow of civilizational exchange. Four Chinese characters—「蕤 (Ruí)」、「蒔 (Shí)」、「英 (Yīng)」、「葸 (Xǐ)」—all belonging to the “艸” radical, serve as the conceptual keystones for each work. These characters are more than titles; they are keys to deciphering a cultural code.
「蕤」(Ruí) means a luxuriant, drooping abundance of flora. This character captures the essence of Sage’s full, hanging flower spikes, symbolizing its latent multiplicity. In the West, its leaves are transformed into rising smoke for purification, used in rituals to dispel negative energy. In China, its root is used as a grounded medicine to invigorate blood and alleviate pain. The understanding of “healing” across Chinese and Western cultures achieves a perfect balance here: an upward spiritual passage and a downward physical grounding. “蕤(Ruí)” manifests a wisdom of symbiotic coexistence.
From the balanced coexistence of "蕤 (Ruí)," the innovative transformation of "蒔 (Shí)," and the achieved consensus of "英 (Yīng)," to the formative trauma of "葸 (Xǐ)," this series captures the manifold possibilities of Sino-Western cultural encounters, interweaving the form of plants with the meaning of words.
