BETTY
ZHU
朱晓京
I investigated the theme of ‘Human Life’ through my artworks, which
includes the changes, stages or emotions in individuals’ lives. During this
process, I used a variety of art mediums such as oil paint, acrylic paint,
pencil, collage, sculptures, etc. I also utilized formal qualities, basic art
elements and principles. My inspiration of this theme came from my science
investigation experience that explored sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary
rocks are formed when sediment is deposited out of air, ice, wind, or other
substances. It is a product of thousands layers of long term accumulation of
different substances; it is an evidence of ‘time’. This concept suddenly
inspired me to create a series of art production that explores the idea of
human life. Just as sedimentary rocks, the past experiences we have had
during our lifetimes have gradually piled up and formed our lives.
DREAM
BLOCKS
40X40X60CM
SCULPTURE
MEDIUM CONCRETE, OLD ITEMS, COMPREHENSIVE MATERIALS
People have dreams throughout their
lifetime. Dreams can be extremely huge
or tiny. Dreams change at different
stages of individuals’ lives. The dreams
we had during childhood may be
forgotten and disappeared by the time
we grow up.
I employed the concept of sedimentary rock in the
artwork. Just as sedimentary rocks, the dreams we have
had during our lifetimes have gradually piled up.
The past dreams were locked in and covered with new
dreams and desires, and ultimately became one part of
the dream block. All of the past dreams would be locked
and preserved as a sedimentary rock in the end. The
footprint at the top of the installation represents the idea
that individuals are gradually walking through the different
stages of human life.
URBANI-
ZATION
50X70CM
PAINTING
MEDIUM OIL PAINTING
During our lives, we see many different changes throughout time. When I
was small, I witnessed the forest near my grand parent’s house gradually
disappeared and became replaced by some tall buildings.
This artwork was inspired by my personal experiences. The artwork shows
two big ideas, “nature” and “urbanization”. The buildings represent the idea
of urbanization, while the fox and the sunset represent the idea of nature.
The artwork demonstrates that nature is an ever- changing beauty, whereas
the cities are lifeless and rigid. However, animals are forced to move out of
this area, due to the process of urbanization. Humans’ endless demands
leads to the urbanization phenomenon in more and more places.
LIFE
110X150CM
STAGES
ACRYLIC PAINTING
MEDIUM OIL PAINTING
We all have different stages in our lives. Every stage is a significant
component that forms a person’s whole life.
This artwork shows a woman’s portrait in the middle, with some rectangle
color blocks and lines around her. The woman in the middle represents an
individual, and the red and orange shapes and lines represent the different
stages in the individual’s life. The artwork shows a combination of realism
painting and abstractionism elements.
LIFE IS
LIKE A PLAY
60X110CM
ILLURSTRATION
MEDIUM OIL PAINTING
We all have different stages in our lives. Every stage is a significant component
that forms a person’s whole life.
This artwork shows a woman’s portrait in the middle, with some rectangle color
blocks and lines around her. The woman in the middle represents an
individual, and the red and orange shapes and lines represent the different
stages in the individual’s life. The artwork shows a combination of realism
painting and abstractionism elements.
A LONGLIER
WAY
1668X2779PX MEDIUM DIGITAL ART
PAINTING
The theme of my artwork is our loneliness feeling in human lives. ‘Loneliness’ is a
universal feeling that everyone will have in their lives.
I used the concepts of minimalism and surrealism art, as well as different techniques
such as complementary colors and combination of different art elements.
The men in the middle of the artwork represents “loneliness”, and the path he walks
on represents “a lonelier way”. The “path” is actually painted by a painting brush,
which indicates that the lonely path may be interminable and does not have an end.
Thus, the “path” is actually lonelier than the man himself, because there is no answer
to the questions that how long is the path, and will it be forever? This raised the
concept “loneliness” to a higher level.
ASPIRATION
28X37CM
ILLUSTRATION
MEDIUM WATERCOLOR
The idea of illustration work came
from my real life experiences. I like
cats very much. However, I cannot
have them as pets, because my
mother does not like them and will
not allow me to keep them at home.
This series of illustrations demonstrates human’s love for something, their
desires, and the ongoing obstacles to realizing that desire in their lives. This
piece was inspired by a personal experience of being in a pet shop. One day,
a small pet shop opened near my house and I was so delighted about it. I
went there every day to do nothing other than stare at the cats. The series of
artworks entitled ‘Aspiration‘ reflect human’s small personal emotions and
experiences in life.
ASPIRATION 2
16X37CM
ILLUSTRATION
MEDIUM PENCIL, COLOR PENCIL
The idea comes from my
personal experiences
watching the feral cats on my
window, sometimes giving
them food and playing with
them. Yet, my mom did not
allow me to open the window
and interact with the cats.
The artwork is also from the series ‘Aspiration’. It shows the scene of a small girl
watching a cat, which indicates the girl’s desire to interact with it. The two are separated
by a window and thick wall, which created the sense of isolation in the artwork. The
monster-like mom character is glaring at her daughter, seeming very dissatisfied with
her behavior, demonstrating the obstacles that dampen the girl’s enthusiasm and
inspiration. The environment is dark, and the light around the window symbolizes the
girl’s desires and dreams to interact with cat.
HOPE
60X80CM
PAINTING
MEDIUM OIL PAINTING
‘Hope’ is an important concept in our
lives. People all have hopes to
encourage and support them. When it
comes to hope, most people think of
something beautiful, which tends to
encourage and uplift us.
However, I viewed this topic from a different angle and presented a negative
scene full of darkness and despair using bluish-grey color, while the nice and
beautiful thing that exists in sky blue would be the ‘Hope’ element. The scene
I depicted is a city covered by fog and haze, which cast a sense of heaviness,
desperation and gloom, while a little girl is blowing bubbles and wishing to
cover all the darkness with her hope. Although this small wish seems
unrealistic and impossible to achieve, it still represents the hope and beautiful
wish to the small girl herself.
RELIEVED
35X35X40CM
SCULPTURE
MEDIUM NON-FIRING CLAY
As shown in the illustration artwork
’Hope’, the little girl is carrying a toy
rabbit. Thus, I took the idea of toy rabbit
and produced a sculpture that shows a
developed idea from that illustration.
The toy rabbit in the illustration represents a sign of ‘Psychological
comfort’ to the little girl to accompany and support her to overcome
some of the negative emotions. However, in the sculpture, it is sitting
alone in blue liquids, indicating that the girl left the toy rabbit with all of
her negative emotions. She could already face her negative emotions,
with no need for the existence of the rabbit. So she left her fear
behind as well as her psychological comfort. This process shows a
feeling of ‘Relieved’. In our lives, ‘relieving’ is actually hard to achieve,
because many people cannot easily relieve something that they are
holding the grudge.