Breathing



2022-2023
8.5 x 11 in/ 11.7 x 16.5 in/ 17 x 22 in (un-framed)



I had been fortunate to see fading and reapperaing, happening simultaneously in one space before. It reminds me of life and death also existing together in the same space. It is a cyclical process, not opposing, but intertwining. Like the act of breathing, the same in and out to out and in. Undoubtedly, what exists holds its vitality, and what fades away evokes sadness. But sometimes, we cannot feel the breath of life -- something is pressing on our minds to make us feel suffocated. We are alive but depressed, sometimes unable to breathe, so we are looking for an exit, a crack from which to float away, so as to get a chance to breathe/breathe heavily. At the same time, fading is happening, bringing new possibilities. Existing is not always positive, and fading is not always negative. The only way to have a chance to touch that new hope is to be broken. Everything is in a steady state, in a cycling feeling, in, out, in, out, growth, fading, and hope.




Installation Viewing
 


                 © Jianyuan Ding 2023