Augury
Where will we be? Or where were we from?
Date
2023/2 - 2023/3
Media
marker pen, ink, and oil pastel on vellum paper, tree branches, thread, paper clips
Dimension
33’’ x 33’’ x 40’’
Category
Class project (VIS105C: Drawing Portfolio), Installation, Drawing, Visual Narrative, Autobiography
Augury, which originally referred to the ritual practice of predicting the future based on the flight of birds, is a form of divination that has been practiced for thousands of years. People from various cultures have attempted to decipher subtle messages from nature that may hint at our fate. Have they succeeded? I do not have a definitive answer, but this practice inspires me to reflect on my past journeys following the guidance of my bird photos from 2012 to 2022.
In following the narrative of my artwork, titled "42", I aim to demonstrate a connection to the past. The piece takes me back to my infancy and shows fragments of bird images that I will encounter in the future.
Moreover, this artwork is a reflection of multiculturalism as the birds were captured in six countries across four continents. While each image may appear distinct, together they form a continuous whole, piecing together my memories and past experiences.
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” — Matthew 6:26
“Birds soar in the sky, ignorant of the concept of freedom. Birds migrate across the land, oblivious to the walls that confine a nation.
Yet, my people understand these notions, yet forget the birds above their heads.”
“These pieces of bird drawings dangling from the tree branch mobile are fragments of your future as well as your past.”