Artists

In the light of the fire, two birds fly out from a building that is burning to the ground in the distance.  The scene is brutal; their wings are on fire and they struggle desperately.  Perhaps, once a person, who is deep within a crisis, has seen this incident and has some kind of association of their own with it, they may feel a lingering fear.  But within the same space, in a distant place, there is a pleasant scene; two girls dressed in fashionable clothes are preparing for a birthday celebration.

Within a single space of time, there are two opposing scenes; the birds that are in the distance, struggling with their wings on fire, and the girls that are in the foreground, celebrating a birthday.  Their smiling faces in the candlelight create a strong contrast and clash with the surrounding imagery.  Perhaps the smiling faces of the girls are facing the tragic scene, gloating over the disaster.  Or perhaps, they are smiling because of their happiness and excitement of the birthday.  Regardless, this scene makes one feel a kind of inexpressible ruthlessness and coldness.

In modern society, interpersonal relationships are so indifferent, to the extent that perhaps mankind itself is cruel.  People often say, “People are a mixture of good and evil”, however, this type of ruthlessness usually exists deep within one’s heart.  In life, everybody carries a smile on their face, as if it were a mask.  Only when the opportunity arises and it is appropriate to put into play a mask of evil, does the monstrosity of a person develop in full.

- Chen Li (2005)