"The Carved Heart" is the title of artist Jiang Meng-Si's master's thesis and will continue to be developed in the solo exhibition "The Nest Boy." The exhibition primarily showcases research on the symbolic meaning of skulls, extending to the study of mask cultures from ancient times to the present. It further explores the series of works titled "Masked Individuals," discussing desires and emotions within the human psyche. Finally, the exhibition combines the imagery of masks with personal life experiences, using bird-like head sculptures in the "Solitary Crown" series to interpret maternal figures different from traditional stereotypes.
Growing up with infrequent encounters with his mother, Jiang Meng-Si believes that compared to other classmates who grew up like typical mammals, he was more like a nestling raised in a nest. Meng-Si mentioned, "Since I have clear memories, my mother has been separated from my father due to family circumstances. She couldn't come back home to see her children, so when I had the chance to meet my mother, it was usually in the corridor outside the school classroom. My mother often brought nutritious food to visit her two children, me and my younger brother, who is four years younger."
Additionally, within a family environment dominated by masculine traits, Meng-Si's grandmother did not fit the traditional portrayal of kindness and subservience; instead, she took charge of household affairs, exhibiting strong, decisive, and proactive qualities.
Within such a family structure, artist Jiang Meng-Si uses the medium of carving to re-establish emotional connections in a non-typical family and to explore and understand motherhood through a fresh perspective. Through continuous reevaluation of the environment, he gradually confirms his own growth and constructs his self-worth.