Futility

The futility of attempts to feel my self-existence by seeking social distractions drove me to create a series of photographs. The absence of self-existence brings emptiness waiting to be filled, presented by the empty frame. The co-existence of ‘weighed down’, ‘weightlessness’ and ‘exploded’ beds make people feel holds the complicated feeling of emptiness, inspired by Brian O’Doherty’s reading about Robert Rauschenberg’s artwork Bed (1955).[1] Emptiness usually seizes me in daytime when it is wonderful outside while I am stuck inside. Then the crave for social connections hits me. The first attempt is to contact people, indicated by the neon keyboard letters, drawing on Tracey Emin’s neon signs. The form of infusion shows the attempt of getting external resources to fix internal problems, influenced by Tishan Hsu’s installation Feed Forward (1989). The second attempt is to go out, suggested by the empty hanger while clothes are being used. Being buried in clothes show the effort of trying while partially showing the body can create a depressive feeling and indicate fragmentary ego, inspired by Francesca Woodman’s photographs. The third attempt is to connect, showed by the woven paper and arms. Paper’s similarity to skin and its fragility indicate the futility of the connection, influenced by the exhibition ‘Zarina: Paper Like Skin’. The layered content in the frame creates a narrative of continuous attempts leading to the imbalance of the frame, which further suggests the futility. [1] Jens Hoffman (ed.), The Studio (London: Whitechapel Gallery, 2012).