Fine artist Anita Wong recently came out with a new body of work entitled “Preserved”. The series of pieces were created with rice paper paintings placed in a 3D shadow box. Here’s what the artist had to to say about the project:
“A broken butterfly wing, a bunch of fallen leaves on the path way, a cicadas shell on a tree, some strangely grown twigs and pressed flower bookmarks from my childhood friend: I find these preserved objects beautiful and precious. I have preserved these strange finds from nature under glass with backgrounds of “Guo hua”, rice paper paintings, one of the oldest art form that honors Nature. They are given a second life and are frozen in time with new meanings under the glass, they tell stories of their existence and lives.
Rice paper painting along with Calligraphy was once a common practice among all Chinese is seen by some as a dying art form. As a Chinese American artist, I want to preserve it, cherish it and bring it to life with new ideas and creative thinkings. The title “Preserved” contains the meaning of preserving Nature as well as the traditional art form of “Guo hua”, both fragile but beautiful, both need to be protected and preserved.
Please note: * All Insects were gifts, finds or purchases from stores that supports cruelty free Insect and butterfly farms, they all lived in their habitat for a full life cycle before being preserved into another beautiful form.*”
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