SELINA
HAN
韩佳彤
What is self-deception? It is to mentally escape from the reality instead of
solving it. For example, my procrastination. In this exhibition, I explored the
theme of self-deception through a series of art works. I have tried to
showcase this theme in differed contexts, thereby expressing and visualizing
my personal viewpoints towards several social issues that I payed attention
to, including environmental concerns, health problems, technology… In most
of the artworks, the color of pink is applied. This is because the color of pink
to me represents illusion that stopped us from seeing the truth and the
crucial reality. One of the principles of design that I employed on all of the
pieces in this exhibition is contrast—in forms, in textures, and in colors.
Since I see the intrinsic value of art in its power to educate and inspire, I
believe contrast helps to catch viewers’ attention and makes ideas spread. I
hope my viewers could be inspired by the ideas imbedded in this series of
artworks, and to think critically and broadly of these issues.
SELF-
DECEPTION
70X7100CM
PAINTING
MEDIUM ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
This piece of work is a metaphor for self-deception. Instead of
quenching the cactus thirst with water, we use blue pigment to
deceive ourselves, which could lead to death of the cactus. In this
painting, cactus is a symbol of desire. Living in desert, cactus is
always desired of water. The darker color lump in the background
aims at catching viewers’ attention, leading them to focus on the
center of this art piece. The amount of highlights on the pigment has
been reduced in order to differentiate it from water.
THE
TREE
RINGS
2732X2084PX
PAINTING
MEDIUM DIGITAL
When we cut down a tree, what do we see?
We should have seen deforestation, we
should have seen desertification. In many
people’s mind, including myself before doing
research on this, deforestation simply means
trees have been cutting down. In fact, the
destruction of vast areas of forest, which is
happening in many places nowadays, can
cause irretrievable consequences. We all
know that tree is an essential need in our
daily life, but trees grow in a very slow
speed. They are being cutting down without
replanting could cause far more than air
pollution. The use of pink forms a sense of
contrast with the iron tower and the chimney.
This pinky, peaceful atmosphere makes
cutting down trees seems not a big deal, and
this illusion keeps our self-deception going.
FIXED BEAUTY
1334X965PX
PAINTING
MEDIUM DIGITAL
On social medias, there are always photos
with a skinny, pretty girl standing in front of a
distorted background. Obviously, photoshops
are everywhere on the internet. When girls
get used to their look after the photoshop,
they tend to become unconfident of their real
self and continue this self-deception. The
use of monochromatic exaggerates the
boredom of this behavior.
I M FAT
70X100CM
PAINTING
MEDIUM WATERCOLOR/ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
The problem of obesity is existing in many parts of the world,
causing significant concerns to our health and wellbeing. And in
today’s culture of consumerism, advertisements and slogans filled
our brains with illusions. This piece of artworks unveils the fact that
ice-cremes is actually made of fat and that junk foods are strongly
connected with the problem of obesity. The color of blue is applied
to the background because this color is barely seen in our food and
therefore seems gross and dangerous to the viewers. McDonald’s
slogans are written on the infusion bags in the background,
symbolizing the diseases junk food could cause to our bodies.
DOLL
OR DOG
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PAINTING
MEDIUM MIXED MEDIUM
Dogs are not dolls. I noticed that some pet owners treat
their dogs like dolls. They put dress on their dogs, dye
their fur, lock them up in narrow cages, do things that
could be against their pet’s nature. These pet owners
deceive themselves as if their dogs like to be dressed,
to be dyed, and to be locked up. This painting delivers
the message that dogs are not dolls, they simply need
space, foods, and love.
YOU
MISS
ARE
NO
LADY
80X60CM
PAINTING
MEDIUM PASTEL ON PAPER AND INK
There is a conversation in the movie Gone with the Wind— between Rhett Butler and Scarlett
O’Hara, “You sir are no gentleman!” “And you miss are no lady.” The nouns— “gentleman” and “lady”
here are worth pondering. Being a lady at that time requires a woman to be obedient, soft quiet and
marriageable, and that is the concept I want to criticize in my artwork. This is a scene from Scarlett’s
husband’s funeral, which is quite ironic when relating it the concept of lady. The hazy background
protrudes the figures, making them the focus of this art piece. The use of calligraphy was inspired by
David Hockney as Hockney believes that language encourages and leads the viewers to discover the
meaning of an artwork.
THE
WEIGHING
SCALE
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PAINTING
MEDIUM DIGITAL
The three portraits in this piece of art are three viral
online celebrities on Tik Tok. Their videos gained billions
of likes for them doing silly and corny tricks at their
shabby home in rural areas. Their poses and languages
made people laugh, and thereby were imitated by
billions of users. Their foolish and confusing tricks made
viewers from all the social classes feel superior and
relax. The weighing scale is a metaphor of the feeling of
superiority. By watching their videos, viewers feel as if
they weighed heavier in this society.
THE
1781X3150PX
PHONE
PAINTING
MEDIUM MIXED MEDIA
The porcelain, the flowers, and curtains, the tea… The
traditional Chinese lifestyle is quiet and peaceful.
However, the black phone and white socket break the
sense of peacefulness, mixing the tumult of modern
lifestyle into this beautiful scene. This piece of artworks
leads viewers to think of the role technology plays in our
daily life and reflect on how it has disturbed the
peacefulness in our heart. The two-dimensional table
resonate with the window on the wall, creating a sense of
harmony.