Xie
Caomin
The Seven Parables of Lotus Sutra
Created between 2020 and 2022, a period of introspection for me, these paintings are reflections of melancholy and musings. They represent my sleepwalker's journey through art.
In my works, I strive to bridge time and space, uniting the echoes of history with modern societal intricacies. I view the picture surface as a transformative entity—mutable, shifting, yet always serving as a membrane of the imaginary. When this intangible tapestry intertwines with symbols, it transforms into a map—an embodiment of hidden beliefs, historical narratives, and the imprint of global politics.
While my creations are inspired by tales from the Lotus Sutra and derive from my travels to Silk Road and Dun Huang in 2017, they aren't straightforward translations of these stories or Buddhist interpretations. Instead, they are links—vital connections between me and our world, immersed in globalization, migration, ecological crises, and cultural contrasts.
Art, for me, doesn't merely decode our reality; it crafts relationships. It gives the observer a chance to interact with the world visually. This series, “Parable of the Lotus Sutra,” mirrors the illusions of a globalized world—much like the pilgrims lost in a mirage city, forgetting their true north.
Mediums
Using graphite, a medium I found more approachable than classic ink. Its malleable nature symbolizes the haze of melancholy. Complementing this is the silver leaf, whose shimmer captures the ephemeral nature of dreams, reflecting the changing lights of hope and introspection.