The Metaphor of Jade——Set of Jade Ornaments, A.D.2018
Jade (nephrite)
Pendant
30x18x0.6cm per set
Like many kinds of stone carving, jade carving also follows the fundamental rule, which is constructing meaning by only deconstructing material. It is the simplicity of both the material and the craftsmanship that brings up the jade culture in China. By laying out those typical shapes in jade, such as jade disc (Bi), arc-shaped pendant (Huang), slotted jade disc (Jue), pointed jade tablet (Zhang, Gui), and notched jade disc (Xuan Ji), and so on, I give the traditional jade ornament set a new order, which comes up with different facial expressions. And every piece could be worn as a pendant.
The work refers to the common people’s characters and emotions in Chinese nowadays. Perfection is rare. The nephrite always comes with flaws, so as people. But every stone is unique, and also, every individual is unique. In other words, jade in my work is a metaphor which presents Chinese common people as a large group with their uniqueness. The look of jade, is the look of Chinese. How will you look at them? How will you interact with them?