Strive to build our country upon the virtue of thrift, Rise in great vigor with self-reliance No.1
艱苦奮鬥勤儉建國，自力更新奮發圖強 No.1
Central Park Series
Hand make wooden cratebox with backlit vinyl print light box
110.5×128.5×8 inch (280x337x20cm)
2022-2023

Strive to build our country upon the virtue of thrift, Rise in great vigor with self-reliance No.1
艱苦奮鬥勤儉建國，自力更新奮發圖強 No.1
Central Park Series
Inkjet print
2022
56×67 inch (142x170cm), edition of 3 (+2AP)
40×48 inch (100x122cm), edition of 9

Collecting discarded cans and plastic water bottles in Canada is not solely a survival behavior forced upon the homeless or the poor. Many elderly Chinese faces with decent dress up among the new immigrants engage in this behavior, which may not have occurred in their lives before moving to Canada. Judging by their age, people who doing this belong to a generation that endured hardships in China during the 1950s to 1970s. Despite gradually improving their lives through their efforts later on, when they move to another country, they seem to feel that their own productivity is not only eliminated with age but also isolated from society due to cultural and language barriers. Thus, the act of collecting bottles and cans is considered as their resistance against the deprivation of their own worth. This resistance is not seen as labor but is more often a byproduct of their daily morning exercise routine in the park. Maintaining physical health through exercise is also a final resistance against the disappearance of their self-worth.

(Detail)

(Detail)

(Detail)