Louise Zhang ais are finalist in the 2022 Sulman Prize with her work The eye of Qidu, seeing over me and Grandpa.
Based on a childhood memory of visiting my grandfather in Qidu, China, this work seeks to capture the moment I first witnessed the glow of a red sun outside the car window – a red orb at once beautiful and apocalyptic. I imagine speaking to Grandpa through a personal lexicon of symbols that have both cultural meaning and significance (persimmons to represent happiness and resilience; clouds to represent the celestial realms) and private significance (the loving hand of my grandpa to symbolise our relationship; the skull to represent my fear of his declining health). This work is a plea to the almond-shaped island of Qidu, our home, for protection.
Artwork:
Louise Zhang
The eye of Qidu, seeing over me and Grandpa, 2022
acrylic on canvas
122.2 x 153 cm
