XINYU LONG
Artist's Statement
My artworks during unit 2 explore the definition of female identity primarily through the concept of 'motherhood'. Based on my own experience of the ambiguity of female identity in the role of motherhood, I want to use some original or naturalistic visual representations of the mother in my perception and try to achieve identity freedom from relationships between humans and natural creatures.
In nature and matriarchal societies that have existed for a long time, the mother is regarded as the origin of the world and the continuation of life. From my own experience, against the background of femininity that has been weakened by the modern patriarchal system, I am always inspired by the resolute qualities of my mother and grandmother， who hold up the entire family. So I prefer to show the beastly women from nature, whether they are returning to their families or in their careers. In the course of my practice, I also include discussions on the subtle relationship between man and beast and the harmonious relationship between women and nature, and collect relevant research backgrounds to further refine my own artistic style.
Apart from that, I often capture some moments in the dynamic world, blurring the possessed human consciousness and old attributes of the self, and trying to combine my own perceptions with images and emotions that carry natural attributes. I hope to prompt viewers to rethink female identity and evoke their most sincere humanity，to evoke a “back-to-nature” for human beings. Additionally, I hope images that are filled with a mix of the familiar and the unknown could stop the viewer in their tracks and make them think about the part of the mystery, such as the race, gender， and identification.
My artworks often appear as groups of oil paintings that are interconnected with each other tightly，cause I really focus on storytelling in every pieces. In addition to the paintings, I also made sculptures in ceramics，not only because its texture will be similar to some of the objects in my picture， but also the presence of three-dimensional works enriches the visual senses and making the subject of the work fuller in a space.
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Unit 3 summer exhibition and research festival proposals
Summer exhibition:
My key theme of the proposed exhibition will focus on "motherhood" and explore identity freedom from relationship between human and nature creatures. My works will still be displayed on the wall in groups of about 2-3 oil paintings on canvas of 100 cm by 70 cm，they don't have special installation requirements, but I want them to have good lighting or natural light in the exhibition room. In terms of the interactivity of the work, I prefer to relate to the work around me in both color and theme, so that this space will be full of narrative. In addition to this, I intend to include a booklet as something that the viewer can flip through at their leisure, which I will either hang next to my work or place on a stand. The reason for this is that I want the viewer to understand the story behind the painting and my personal feelings.
Research festival:
For the activities that best supports interests and research outcomes, I prefer to make a piece of writing that explores my research that will be published in the online journal. Because I haven't had the experience of publishing a journal paper yet, I feel that it will help me as a young artist in terms of academic support. In addition, it is also a process of repeatedly converse with myself, and critical thinking occurs, in which I can not only organize my thoughts but also collect suggestions and inspirations from other artists and teachers in the research festival.
