Text/ Ｗang Hsiao-Ai
To survive, humans seek out sources of water. I walk along the riverbank, pummeled by flooding and strong currents. On the brink of being washed away, the river stones become my writing instruments. I collect, organize, and arrange each stone, creating a record of my life.
The creative process is a journey for water, a journey during which one might get lost and confusion, unable to distinguish whether one is in the river or safely on the shore. As the days pass, one learns, grows, and transforms from the sufferer to the observer.
Water is capricious; the river can be calm and clear most days, yet at times, it becomes turbulent and muddy. Occasionally, small whirlpools appear and spin in place. Observing the river is akin to reliving the journey of life, where the upstream (the past) and downstream (the future) are interconnected. Through continuous observation and seeing, one learns to coexist with the river.
The stones in the river are like fragments of consciousness, beliefs, and traumas that accumulate and compress over the years, crystallizing into new objects. They continuously roll and erode in the river of life. Finally, they vanish, linger, or, in the ebb and flow of the current, reach the mouth of the river and flow into the ocean.
Wang Hsiao-Ai's works use multimedia materials as creative vocabulary. Through exploring the interpretation of inner spirit and life axis, while observing nature and understanding the philosophy of life, combining the healing power of natural materials, organizing and releasing.