Ornamented Urbans

2021; plywood; 134in-43in-43in

In Chinese cities, one will encounter many “traditional” symbols on street. The veneer walls of urban public spaces decorated by these symbols are unconscious aesthetic relics that become the skin of the city. However, these complex traditional motifs are often re-rendered or appropriated in the modernized world in ways that skew or obscure their original meanings, and thus sever the connection to their origins. Many of these symbols are eventually abstracted into regionalized political colors, ignored by the public, or used only as tourist landscapes.

To reflect the superficiality of utilizing these symbols, I use plywood, an industrially synthesized wood that cut into traditional shapes, stacked in layers, visually focused and magnified in order to remind the viewer to refocus their attention onto these symbols and inspire curiosity about their significance.