Sun Ying
It has already been four years since my last solo exhibition Never Too Far. Friends wondered why I’ve been so quiet for such a long time. The fact is that I became a mother in the year of 2015. Looking after a newborn baby ate fast all my energy and time up to bring me into such a busy life that I had to slow down and wait for a new start. But luckily it didn’t take long.
The girl in the picture came back again, alone but not lonely. She is still that energetic and faithful youth, though had been seeing varies of views up the road. I was also there, on the same common but never an easy road, to relearn the value of life and time from my child.
Named The Way Back, I take this exhibition as the way home as well as to start again, and the way to find the unmet self and to recall the purest heart at the very start. The girl is always on her own road, like everyone else, stays or starts, meets sceneries or strangers by chance. It was but kind of challenging for me to get here. The worst enemy was me, hesitant and doubting. But thank the past, the best friend, for showing me the golden memories and bursting dreams to keep me moving forward.
Life is full of possibilities and surprises. Seeing my son growing up day after day into a more independent boy prepared for a bigger and more colorful changing world, I grew up as well. Learning to open my wide eyes and to embrace this even not that charming world bravely just like the girl in my picture, I was blessed with courage and simplest happiness.
To paint depends on these momentary feelings and emotions is consistently my fever, my way of expression, my attitude and my nearest partner. It colors me a eden where treasurable peace that I hold it dear can be found. And after years of painting, I finally realized that what continuously impulses me is not the initial beautiful dream, but this insistence of self-confrontation.
There is no destination on The Way Back, as there is no end to find who you really are.BY MY SIDE (Series inspired by picture books)
After being a mother I was falling into a new habit of sharing picture books with my son before he fell soundly asleep. The starry beauty and innocence within the books that have been longtime forgotten by our adult world lightened me up. With my understandings and love for my little darling I tried to copy some of the pictures in a different way, to leave him a chance to imagine his childhood and to feel mother’s endless love in the near or far future, even not to be understood at present.
Notes: The picture books are Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, The Biggest House in the World by Leo Lionni, Apart Together by Yu Liqiong and Saki 's Shoes by Kohei Soma.
Warm (Goodnight Mittens)
The pair of warm mittens tells mother’s love, which binds forever and ends never.
Taste (Goodnight Mush)
The taste of mother is the taste of home, the yummy smell babies always dream.
The Other Side of the Rainbow
The biggest house in the world may not the warmest, suit is best.
Apart Together
Life are gatherings and partings, just hold it tight and let it go.
Treasure
Growing up is learning to say goodbye.