(2003)  Cycle 22" x 28"  Oil on Canvas

Creation and giving birth.

 If creation is a form of expression, then I believe giving birth is a life realization.

 In 1993 I came to America to study Art, but it wasn’t until 1997 that I began to develop the focus of my art creation.  That same year, I had an exhibition that contained eight oil paintings.  In the show, I chose uterus as the theme of my work to describe my image of women.  This was clearly different from the traditional male artist’s view of “ideal” women, which is usually depicted with a beautiful face, perfectly proportion body, full round breasts and smooth silky skin.  I like to use abstract strokes, go beyond the limitations of external form, to present the inner power of women. I am fascinated by all the particular processes of a women’s body: ovulation, menstruation, pregnancy, giving birth, breastfeeding...  These processes create life and extend human energy, yet at the same time cause a women’s body uneasiness and conflict.  In my work, I want to connect a dialogue to the inner body and present this special tension, giving the women’s body deep attention.   

When I was pregnant in 1999, all the conflict on my canvas became real. I could feel the change of my body: the pause of the dark thick red blood, instead, the fertilized ovum was dividing and life was emergent. Connected by umbilical cord, the embryo absorbed nutrition from my placenta and changed the operation of my body’s hormones.  I enjoyed the pressure of the pregnancy and the expectation of life, yet at the same time I suffered the insomnia, exhaustion, anxiety, fear, nervousness, and pain of giving birth.  The power that I emphasized in my paintings is constantly growing rapidly in my body. All the energy in a large canvas is confirmed (corroborated) by two connected bodies.  The power of life flows between my art work and birth.

Breastfeeding is another experience of my body.  Breasts that are restricted and oppressed under bras are only symbols of sex.  Natural needs of a baby give them back their original function.  Like other organs, breasts belong exclusively to women.  Watching my breasts secrete milk and feed a hungry baby; I was amazed by nature.  My breastfeeding experience presented to me full control and ownership of my body.  I have all the determination to use/look at my breasts to liberate the myth of evaluating by cup size and firmness.  In my painting, titled “Feeding”, I present the breasts, which are sucked, used, squeezed by baby’s passionate needs. The breasts are not only warm and soft but also strong, real, and full of life’s energy.

The integrated, well planned life that I used to have was divided into pieces by feeding the baby and changing diapers.  I started to work on small size paintings.  I continued to utilize an abstract expression style; I continue to use solid strong colors and a powerful brush stroke to discover the deep inner desire: a living being’s instinctive and propagative desire.  In 2002, my solo exhibition in Taichung featured 20 (8” x 10”) oil paintings and 160 (2” x 3”) ink on paper pieces.  The small work to me represented the broken pieces of a women’s space.  Every woman who goes back and forth between the roles of wife, daughter and mother has her different stages of life broken and also complete.  Therefore, each small work is an individual creation, after integration, it becomes an inclusive conception.  

Raising children interrupts time allocated for work, however, my personal propagation gives me the experience to inspect myself, and build a conversation between me and my work.  Therefore, creation and giving birth conflict and also corroborate each other.