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.
「蒔」(Shí) has the meaning of transplant, cultivate, and graft. It describes the dynamic process of a cultural symbol being replanted and nurtured in foreign soil. In the Western tale of Narcissus, it serves as a warning against self-indulgence, while the Chinese image of this "Spirit Over the Waves" celebrates detachment from the self. "蒔(Shí)" documents how the same beautiful vessel was "grafted" with an entirely different soul within Chinese culture, accomplishing a creative transformation from "self" to "non-self."
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.
