This residency at
@mass.sculpture took place in the fourth month after giving birth. Although I was still holding my baby through the nights, I found myself full of energy during the daytime whenever I could work—making became my time off. Compared to the caution I had before pregnancy, after separating a person from my own body, I began wanting to try small things I previously didn’t dare to do, such as using power tools. The moment I pressed the switch, the electric saw immediately became my companion.
In this body of sculptures, bodily forms began to emerge. I searched for different configurations of limbs—their gestures and positions, the direction of muscles and bones, upper limbs, lower limbs, or two arms joining into a circle. The base structure is constructed from wood, with thicker blocks suggesting the mass and weight of the body, like muscle. Because I wanted each piece to carry some naturally formed traces, I created a small ritual for them: they had to be splashed with melted crayons, like passing through a shower before entering a swimming pool, before they could proceed to the next stage.
That day, I received some feedback—some people felt the arrangement of the ritual resembled children in a nursery, or a carousel. The crayons inserted like offerings resembled candles, as if celebrating something. I couldn’t help but think of my four-year-old daughter graduating from nursery this year—perhaps this truly does look like a fitting ceremony of celebration. The vibrant splashes of color fall like fireworks, but also like blood and tears.
