Chia LEE

"During the trip to Shaoxing, one of the famous water towns in China, I was very surprised to see that local people still retained the old lifestyle: they rinse vegetables in the canal, wash clothes in the canal, take water from the canal to their cleaning…They seemed to be so “connected” to their environment. I was touched by this scene and the nostalgia behind it. At the same time, neon lights as a super contemporary material are frequently employed in Chinese cities: bars, restaurants, food trucks, shopping malls…it is the symbol of modern consumerism. An anachronism is created by using a contemporary material to depict a scene that has been going on for thousands of years." (Chia Lee, 2024)

"Rivers are the cradle of civilization, and civilization in turn reshape rivers. Human-water relationship is one that has started before dawn and will continue to go on eternally. During the residency at Swatch Art Peace Hotel, I sit every morning in front of this particular window that opens to Huangpu River to get ready for my day. Looking out at Huangpu River, one of the busiest transport waterways in the region, it’s like seeing the flows and developments of modern China in a nutshell. This video work is thus created to explore different waterways in the region, notably the Grand Canal and Huangpu River, overlapped with images of modern daily life in China. It gives an example of the abundance and diversity in the region, where seemingly contradictory scenes coexist in harmony: from skyscrapers to ancient Chinese gardens, from shiny neon signs to traditional Chinese pastries, from popular Tiktok songs to nostalgic Suzhou melodies. Rivers connect them all. It is exactly the richness and complexity in culture that makes China an amazing place for art creation." (Chia Lee, 2024)