Kikachick is stepping towards the snow covered stage, while a faint tinge of pink reflected from the lights under the deep blue dusk is shimmering on its icy surface., 2021
brass, burnt acrylic color, tatami, lacquer, dry straws, gas tank cap
Guan Xiao has been working with the tree root motifs for the past few years to examine understanding of nature and explore the tenuous binary of nature and synthetic elements....
Guan Xiao has been working with the tree root motifs for the past few years to examine understanding of nature and explore the tenuous binary of nature and synthetic elements. In this work, ‘Kikachick is stepping towards…,’ Guan Xiao personifies the tree root with a hat-like form, and fragile elements such as hay, and places the sculpture on a tatami mat that creates the narrative backdrop. The artist devised a poem that takes inspiration from Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s writing, reflecting on the interior landscape depicted in the period scenes in his writing, and contrasting what may appear as traditional elements such as the tree root and tatami with electric colors and readymade elements. The motorcycle fuel tank caps that appear on the steel cherries allude to mechanical production prevalent in our agricultural practices.