The COVID-19 epidemic, which began at the end of 2019, has brought
the world into a different period. The whole human race seems to wake up and
find that its existence on the earth is not so natural. We have to think about
the existence of human beings and the fate of tomorrow, as well as the
proposition of how we can coexist with nature - how long can we exist on this
planet?
Once I accompanied my 4-year-old son to watch a popular science
program about dinosaurs, which happened to talk about the extinction of
dinosaurs. My son suddenly asked me, "Dad, will our human beings be
extinct in the future?" To tell the truth, I was very shocked at that
time. Children can think about these problems, but many of US adults don't care
about it at all. My son's words greatly touched me, and I began to think about
how to express my feelings in artistic creation. I remember when I was a child,
I went out to play and climb mountains with my father. We found many ancient
fossils on the mountain. My father told me that long ago, there was a vast
ocean here, and these fossils are proof. Recalling the events of the same year,
I wonder whether our human beings can leave some marks like fossils if they
become extinct in the future, indicating that we once existed? The color and
texture of fossils inspired me. I began to get rid of the past forms in
landscape creation and use the pagoda, a unique cultural and architectural
symbol in China,
as the material to transform it into an imagination, as if they had become
fossils. As a proof of our existence, I told all this to the culture and life
that may find all this in the future. Pagoda has a special position in Chinese
culture. It is not only a religious building, but also a spiritual sustenance
of noble thoughts. At this stage, it is most appropriate to express my feelings
and thoughts with the pagoda as the symbol.
