Yuánfèn
Artist clothes
Pictura Dordrecht
Netherlands
2023
By sheer coincidence, I found myself at Pictura Teekengenootschap (Pictura Dordrecht) for this group performance event. It was fascinating how unexpected circumstances brought us to such unique places. I want to thank Frans Van Lent for this wonderful opportunity; our paths crossing here made the experience all the more remarkable, particularly since our first encounter had been in Ghent, Belgium, back in 2018. “Yuánfèn” captures the essence of predestined relationships deeply rooted in Chinese culture. The group exhibition, Chance Encounter—which also lends its name to my performance—explored the notion that chance meetings are not arbitrary but orchestrated by fate.
The performance begins with the audience entering the room, where they first encounter what appears to be a pile of black clothing. Over time, the pile starts to “breathe”; slowly, the artist’s arm appears from the clothing, reaching out to the audience and inviting them to interact in any way they desire. The pile is therefore not a static object but a compressed self—a body of memory, clothing, and portable identity. Its breathing transforms luggage into something latent and alive; the reaching arm turns fate into an invitation. The audience’s response—whatever form it takes—completes the work, because Yuánfèn is not a solo destiny but a relationship co-authored by those who meet. I regarded this return as a deeply metaphorical journey: not merely a physical trip back to a familiar continent, but a symbolic crossing between two vastly different chapters of my life. Returning to Europe as a resident of China meant confronting how my identity had shifted. Performing with only what I had packed in my suitcase came to represent the broader human experience of carrying one’s cultural roots, memories, and sense of self across borders—even as those borders reshape who we are.
In this transient space, I used only the clothing in my luggage as artistic mediums. These objects became vessels through which the profound feeling of Yuánfèn was expressed—turning ordinary, portable belongings into tangible echoes of destiny and connection. What appears as a pile of clothing becomes a breathing archive; what begins as chance becomes a shared act of recognition.