Cathy Portfolio

Introduction

Hello! My name is Cathy, a passionate student dedicated to art and cultural heritage preservation. Growing up in a family that values traditional Chinese culture, I developed a deep appreciation for our intangible cultural heritage, especially the art of lacquerware. From a young age, I was fascinated by the vibrant colors and intricate designs of lacquer art. This passion led me to study traditional lacquer techniques while also exploring contemporary art forms. I believe that preserving our cultural heritage doesn't mean keeping it in museums, but rather bringing it to life through innovation and creativity. Beyond art, I'm an avid reader and writer. My book 'Shadows of the Wild Goose' reflects my thoughts on cultural identity in modern society. I also enjoy playing piano and dancing, which help me express emotions that words cannot capture. As a student, I actively participate in cultural exchange programs and volunteer activities. These experiences have taught me the importance of cross-cultural understanding and community service. My goal is to become a cultural ambassador who bridges tradition and modernity, East and West. This website showcases my journey - my artworks, writings, and the causes I care about. Thank you for visiting, and I hope my works can inspire you as much as creating them has inspired me.

Portfolio

Lacquer art creation

Butterfly

Using the butterfly as a central motif and lacquer as the medium, this work blends traditional intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. Through lacquer techniques such as lacquering and polishing, the layers of lacquer are imbued with mineral like depth and fluidity. The veins of the butterfly's wings emerge between the lacquer layers, with each hue being unique a pulse of spring and a mark of the singularity of individual life. The temporality and durability of lacquer stand in stark contrast to the short yet brilliant life of a butterfly, reconstructing Eastern aesthetics' ultimate inquiry into the essence of life within the tension between solidification and dissipation. The work captures the perpetual vitality within the eternal lacquer surface, showcasing the symbiotic beauty of nature and art.

Lacquer art creation

Bag

The revival of intangible cultural heritage techniques is far from a museum-style display of specimens; rather, it is a profound reinterpretation of civilization where materials serve as the language and wearing becomes the ritual. This series of bags employs traditional Chinese lacquer artistry, an intangible cultural heritage, as its medium, integrating the semiotic reinterpretation of butterfly imagery to encode regional culture into a tangible material poetry. The result is wearable art that merges heritage tradition with geometric aesthetics. The main body of the bag features rhinoceros hide lacquering technique, achieved through 15 layered gradients of lacquer to evoke the essence of landscape artistry, while mother-of-pearl inlay creates dramatic light-and-shadow visual layers. The imagery of butterfly metamorphosis echoes the "temporality" and "regenerative aesthetics" inherent in lacquer layering. The fluid texture of lacquer contrasts with the geometric rationality of the structural form, creating a dynamic tension. By transcending the constraints of static display, the intangible heritage technique metaphorically explores the dialectical relationship between nature and artifice, offering a poetic response rooted in Eastern aesthetics to the essence of time and space.