In most people’s minds, Xinjiang seems far away, this is actually a discrepancy of psychological distance. “Time and space” are mostly referred to as physical existence, however, the motivation for life practice always comes from subjective emotions rather than objective reasoning. Therefore, everyone perceives the scale of time and space differently. Ink, as the artistic medium I’m most familiar with, seems to have a considerable distance from Xinjiang. However, through my increasing research and observation of the murals in the Kizil Caves in Xinjiang, I’ve discovered that ink, or traditional Central Plains culture, has long been intricately connected with Xinjiang. Hence, I chose one of the most iconic symbols of literati culture, the Taihu rock, as a medium to be brought to Bosten Lake, the largest inland lake in China. The landforms and vegetation around the lake vary greatly due to the significant difference in its salinity levels from its eastern to its western shores.

In recent years, my exploration of the Taihu rock, as a key element of my focus on the landscape theme, has gradually deepened. For me, the integration of flower, landscape and even figures into the structure of the Taihu Rock aims to blur the boundaries between traditional flower-and-bird, landscape, and figure paintings, enabling a multi-perspective observation and practice regarding time and space.

I have always wanted to explore the meaning of the existence of time and space through the language of painting. And for me, fixed time seems to have long been absent; instead, time is open and chaotic. Creating in my own time and space has no labels. In my own space, I can dissect and extract everything with disordered time. When I finish a piece of work, my view of the whole world changes.