Wounds & Trauma
煙塵兩忘 不負清閒
Let Dust and Smoke Fade Away, Embracing Tranquil Ease
Age 60, Female
English Description
In impermanence, contemplation is what makes us human.
It was a farewell that came too suddenly to be spoken. And it was this abrupt separation that allowed Let Dust and Smoke Fade Away, Embracing Tranquil Ease to quietly take shape upon silk. Like a cry of grief never voiced, or a question left unasked – it gently inquires, what is it that we cling to so tightly, and when should we finally let go?
At the center of the painting stands the figure of my second elder sister. She wears an opulent traditional Chinese gown, a red so intense yet as light as mist, as dreamlike as memory. She stands still, her hands resting before her skirt, her expression serene. Yet within her gaze lies a profound weight. The name pendant on her chest, meant to symbolize wealth and refinement, now feels like a shackle, pressing heavily upon the heart. Behind her, floating skulls, diamonds, and gold coins circle like shadows that refuse to part – Are they projections of desire, or preludes to death? They churn endlessly amid gray clouds, mirroring our obsession with “possession,” which is often nothing more than a way to flee from “loss.”
In her hands, she holds a circular object polished like a mirror. Reflected within it is a hunched skeleton in motion. It is no other than her future self, and at the same time, a cold prophecy cast by fate.
She gazes upon it, as if gazing upon us all. This is not a mirror but a deep well of contemplation, a silent void left by time into which one may fall. In its wordless stillness, it reminds us that what we grasp so tightly is merely a shadow already slipping away.
What moves the viewer is not only the delicacy of technique. Each layer of mineral pigment, each deliberate expanse of blank space, becomes a miniature of life itself. Some memories are carefully preserved, while others are gradually washed away by time. Through this quiet yet resolute approach, I wish to transform the “impermanence of life” into a sustained and penetrating gaze. I want those who stand before the painting not only to be touched but to be compelled to look back at the distance between themselves and existence. This work was created after the sudden passing of my second sister. She had always seemed to be the embodiment of an enviable life, healthy, beautiful, affluent, and surrounded by a happy family. No one could have imagined that COVID-19 would carry her from life to death in merely seven days. The shock of death plunged me into an unfathomable reflection. The wealth, fame, and surface stability we struggle so fiercely to attain, how are they any different from dew on the tip of a leaf at dawn? They sparkle, yes, but they are so fragile as to be nearly nonexistent. What truly sustains us is contemplation, and the clarity that comes from recognizing our own finitude.
“The ultimate joy of humanity lies in the experience of contemplation.” This sentence is both the starting point and the core of this painting. When we are willing to pause our relentless pursuit, no longer driven solely by desire, and instead confront death, impermanence, and time itself, only then do we truly begin to learn how to live. Only then can we forget both dust and smoke, and after letting go, reclaim a genuine sense of ease.
This is not a painting about death. It is a painting about how to live well. The sister within the painting may have already understood this truth. Compared to clinging to things destined to decay, what deserves our care is the quiet clarity of this very moment while this breath still remains.
It was a farewell that came too suddenly to be spoken. And it was this abrupt separation that allowed Let Dust and Smoke Fade Away, Embracing Tranquil Ease to quietly take shape upon silk. Like a cry of grief never voiced, or a question left unasked – it gently inquires, what is it that we cling to so tightly, and when should we finally let go?
At the center of the painting stands the figure of my second elder sister. She wears an opulent traditional Chinese gown, a red so intense yet as light as mist, as dreamlike as memory. She stands still, her hands resting before her skirt, her expression serene. Yet within her gaze lies a profound weight. The name pendant on her chest, meant to symbolize wealth and refinement, now feels like a shackle, pressing heavily upon the heart. Behind her, floating skulls, diamonds, and gold coins circle like shadows that refuse to part – Are they projections of desire, or preludes to death? They churn endlessly amid gray clouds, mirroring our obsession with “possession,” which is often nothing more than a way to flee from “loss.”
In her hands, she holds a circular object polished like a mirror. Reflected within it is a hunched skeleton in motion. It is no other than her future self, and at the same time, a cold prophecy cast by fate.
She gazes upon it, as if gazing upon us all. This is not a mirror but a deep well of contemplation, a silent void left by time into which one may fall. In its wordless stillness, it reminds us that what we grasp so tightly is merely a shadow already slipping away.
What moves the viewer is not only the delicacy of technique. Each layer of mineral pigment, each deliberate expanse of blank space, becomes a miniature of life itself. Some memories are carefully preserved, while others are gradually washed away by time. Through this quiet yet resolute approach, I wish to transform the “impermanence of life” into a sustained and penetrating gaze. I want those who stand before the painting not only to be touched but to be compelled to look back at the distance between themselves and existence. This work was created after the sudden passing of my second sister. She had always seemed to be the embodiment of an enviable life, healthy, beautiful, affluent, and surrounded by a happy family. No one could have imagined that COVID-19 would carry her from life to death in merely seven days. The shock of death plunged me into an unfathomable reflection. The wealth, fame, and surface stability we struggle so fiercely to attain, how are they any different from dew on the tip of a leaf at dawn? They sparkle, yes, but they are so fragile as to be nearly nonexistent. What truly sustains us is contemplation, and the clarity that comes from recognizing our own finitude.
“The ultimate joy of humanity lies in the experience of contemplation.” This sentence is both the starting point and the core of this painting. When we are willing to pause our relentless pursuit, no longer driven solely by desire, and instead confront death, impermanence, and time itself, only then do we truly begin to learn how to live. Only then can we forget both dust and smoke, and after letting go, reclaim a genuine sense of ease.
This is not a painting about death. It is a painting about how to live well. The sister within the painting may have already understood this truth. Compared to clinging to things destined to decay, what deserves our care is the quiet clarity of this very moment while this breath still remains.
中文描述
在無常中，沉思使我們成為人
那是一場來不及說再見的永別。也是這場突如其來的離散，讓《煙塵兩忘不負清閒》悄悄在絹本上誕生。像是一段不曾出口的哀鳴，又像是一句沉默的追問——
我們執著的究竟是什麼？又該在什麼時候放下？
畫面中央是二姐的身影，她穿著一襲華麗的中式禮服，紅得濃烈，卻也輕得像霧像夢。她靜靜站著，手垂裙前，神情平和，但眼神裡藏著深深的重量，胸前的名牌吊墜，本應象徵富貴與品味，但此刻卻像某種枷鎖，沉甸甸地壓在心頭。她背後那些懸浮的骷髏、鑽石與金幣，如影隨形地圍繞著她——是慾望的投影？還是死亡的前奏？它們在灰雲間翻騰不息，就像我們對「擁有」的瘋狂，其實不過是對「失去」的逃避。
她手中握著一面如鏡的圓器，映出一具駝背而行的骷髏，那不是別人，是未來的自己，也是命運冷冷投下的預告。她看著它，也彷彿在看我們。那不是鏡子，是一口通往沉思的深井，是時間留下來讓人墜落的靜默空洞。在無聲之中，它提醒著：你所緊握的，不過是即將流逝的影子罷了。
這幅畫之所以讓人動容,不只是因為技法上的細膩。每一層礦彩的覆蓋，每一筆空白的刻意，都像是人生的縮影——某些記憶被細細呵護，有些卻被時間一點一點沖淡。我想透過這樣安靜卻有力的方式，把「生命無常」轉化為一種深層的凝視。讓站在畫前的你，不只是被畫面打動,而是被迫回望自己與存在之間的距離。
這件作品是在二姐驟然離世之後誕生的。她一直是那種讓人羨慕的存在：健康、美麗、富有、家庭幸福。誰也沒料到，一場 COVID-19，竟讓她在短短七天內從生走到死。死亡的突襲讓我掉進一個深不見底的思索——那些我們拚命追求的金錢、名聲、表面的安穩，和清晨葉尖上的露珠，又有什麼不同？晶亮，是的，但也脆弱得幾乎不存在。而真正能支撐我們的，是沉思，是理解自身有限性的那份清明。
「人類極致的快樂,在於體驗沉思。」這句話是我畫這幅作品的出發點，也是它的核心。當我們願意暫停奔忙的腳步，不再只為慾望所驅，而去直視死亡、無常、與時間本身，我們才真正開始學會活著。也唯有那時，我們才可能做到「煙塵兩忘」，在放下之後，得回那一份真正的清閒。
這不是一幅關於死亡的畫，而是一幅關於怎麼好好活著的畫。畫裡的二姐，也許已經懂了這件事——比起緊握那些終究會朽壞的東西，我們更應該珍惜的是當下這一刻，這一口氣尚存時的安靜與清明。
那是一場來不及說再見的永別。也是這場突如其來的離散，讓《煙塵兩忘不負清閒》悄悄在絹本上誕生。像是一段不曾出口的哀鳴，又像是一句沉默的追問——
我們執著的究竟是什麼？又該在什麼時候放下？
畫面中央是二姐的身影，她穿著一襲華麗的中式禮服，紅得濃烈，卻也輕得像霧像夢。她靜靜站著，手垂裙前，神情平和，但眼神裡藏著深深的重量，胸前的名牌吊墜，本應象徵富貴與品味，但此刻卻像某種枷鎖，沉甸甸地壓在心頭。她背後那些懸浮的骷髏、鑽石與金幣，如影隨形地圍繞著她——是慾望的投影？還是死亡的前奏？它們在灰雲間翻騰不息，就像我們對「擁有」的瘋狂，其實不過是對「失去」的逃避。
她手中握著一面如鏡的圓器，映出一具駝背而行的骷髏，那不是別人，是未來的自己，也是命運冷冷投下的預告。她看著它，也彷彿在看我們。那不是鏡子，是一口通往沉思的深井，是時間留下來讓人墜落的靜默空洞。在無聲之中，它提醒著：你所緊握的，不過是即將流逝的影子罷了。
這幅畫之所以讓人動容,不只是因為技法上的細膩。每一層礦彩的覆蓋，每一筆空白的刻意，都像是人生的縮影——某些記憶被細細呵護，有些卻被時間一點一點沖淡。我想透過這樣安靜卻有力的方式，把「生命無常」轉化為一種深層的凝視。讓站在畫前的你，不只是被畫面打動,而是被迫回望自己與存在之間的距離。
這件作品是在二姐驟然離世之後誕生的。她一直是那種讓人羨慕的存在：健康、美麗、富有、家庭幸福。誰也沒料到，一場 COVID-19，竟讓她在短短七天內從生走到死。死亡的突襲讓我掉進一個深不見底的思索——那些我們拚命追求的金錢、名聲、表面的安穩，和清晨葉尖上的露珠，又有什麼不同？晶亮，是的，但也脆弱得幾乎不存在。而真正能支撐我們的，是沉思，是理解自身有限性的那份清明。
「人類極致的快樂,在於體驗沉思。」這句話是我畫這幅作品的出發點，也是它的核心。當我們願意暫停奔忙的腳步，不再只為慾望所驅，而去直視死亡、無常、與時間本身，我們才真正開始學會活著。也唯有那時，我們才可能做到「煙塵兩忘」，在放下之後，得回那一份真正的清閒。
這不是一幅關於死亡的畫，而是一幅關於怎麼好好活著的畫。畫裡的二姐，也許已經懂了這件事——比起緊握那些終究會朽壞的東西，我們更應該珍惜的是當下這一刻，這一口氣尚存時的安靜與清明。