200 x 180 cm
oil on canvas
2022

I grew up in a town situated at the border between China and Russia during a period in which Sino Russian trade flourished. Memories from childhood include top hats, fur coats, and deep forests filled with spruce and red and black pines. The central red pine trunk represents the passing of time; trees continue to grow as people come and go in the roaring tides of history.

160 x 130 cm
oil on canvas
2021

All Pinocchio wanted was to become a ‘real’ boy. All he wanted, as he stumbled through evil temptations and unsafe minefields, was to grow up and become ‘real’; for him, ‘being good’ was merely the means to the end, not the original desire. Pinocchio’s wish was eventually granted, but his dream was a selfish, subjective one. The ironies of Pinocchio’s story mirrors that of real life.

160 x 130 cm
oil on canvas
2020

Four friends stand in a semi-circle blowing bubbles; I took this image from a magazine. I framed the image with stage curtains and elongated their noses to represent possible deception and trickery. The “THIS SIDE UP” sign, taken from a carton box, conveys that what is inside the box is still yet unknown. There is a sense of suspense and anticipation akin to the moment before the curtains are drawn open to reveal what is on stage.

160 x 130 cm
oil on canvas
2023

My friend was shooting a fashion spread featuring a model on a raft in a spartan, empty room. Although the scene was to be edited in post-production, the bare set intrigued me because it was completely devoid of time and space signifiers. I was attracted to the co-existence of the dream- space and reality-space. The work is my attempt to capture the liminal border where our dream-space collides with the infinite mysteries of the universe.