Yizhi LI

Installation

Supervisor: Mr. Zhiwan CHEUNG

In my memory, there were always two things in my life: an old tree more than 60 years old and a wolf-dog that grew up with me. Whenever I go home, they bring me peace and happiness. But last year, I lost them both. The old tree was cut down by my uncle to decorate the house, and the wolf-dog left me because of an illness. So I decided to use some materials from nature to memorialize the precious past in my memory.

I also wanted to reflect on the past, the meaning of death and life, in making this sculpture. In general, I made an experimental media artwork by using fallen leaves. The final demi-wolf sculpture was placed in the courtyard of my hometown. And I take a photo of it in the yard, which will be displayed online. The original sculpture would also be in the courtyard for all visitors to see. Tony Cragg has said that the purpose of the sculpture is to give meaning and value to materials. In this work of mine, I want to collect and reconstruct the decaying leaves that are not noticeable in life and yet can be seen everywhere. The leaves can symbolize death but also vitality. I will take my dead wolf-dog in my memory as a reference for the sculpture, and give new meaning and value to these materials. The wolf-dog sculpture is not only of ornamental value but also an expression of death and vitality in a spiritual sense. Because of the past and death, the future and life are meaningful. The past is not just the past; it will become our memories and stay with us for a lifetime. That is what I want to pass on to my family and the audience.