YIFEI SUN'S ONLINE JOURNAL
References, inspirations and sketches
In China most temples are in the centre of the city, and it could even be said that the city was build the temples. For most of people, they are not just places of worship,but part of their lives.
Like the Jing'an Temple on the left, you can see that it is surrounded by many tall buildings, this temple is in the centre of Shanghai, and even the district is called Jing'an District because of the Jing'an Temple
I interviewed some religious leaders and asked them what people think about religion nowadays. Most of them told me that many people in China just see religion as part of their lives and they do not value religious norms as much as the former believers did, and one Buddhist host told me that many words in the Chinese vocabulary nowadays come from Buddhist terms.
so religion has changed us a lot, but you don't necessarily have to be a religious person. last time you asked me what do I want to express? am I critiquing or celebrating religion?
I don't critiquing religion or celebrating it. For my work this time, religion is more of a cultural phenomenon, and what I want to express is that religion is bound to exist, even with the advancement of technology, religion will still exist. My work wants to present a religious portrait of the earth after its destruction.
The reason I did the research was to find out what the pattern was of the influence of religion on people, and when I found the pattern I could guess what the world of religion would be like in the future. I think astronauts and space forerunners will be progenitors for the new religion for the space faring humanity, deified into prophets of the next age. Space stations and satellites stand as monolithic landmarks and religious totems.
The Buddhist host told me that all religions are successful because people have needs to religion.
Whether it be Buddhism, Taoism, or Confucianism , all religions differ only in the degree of complexity of the forms, and all the core appeals reflect the needs of human beings. This moved me and made me want to create with this theme. However, there are no religious elements but pure aesthetic pursuit. I think atheists are also have the rights to elaborate religious themes from their own perspectives. In addition to the Buddhist themes, there are also some modern and contemporary art influence. I will have a deep understanding and study of them during this period, which I think will be reflected in the picture whether I want to admit it or not.