The title is inspired by Tao Yuanming’s «Three Poems of Form, Shadow, and Spirit.»
Form: The damaged statues in the grottoes symbolize people’s longing for eternal life. Shadow: The virtual images of the restored statues, based on documentary materials, reflect people’s desire for goodness and fame. Spirit: By overlapping the actual damaged statues with the ideal complete images, it represents the national spiritual reliance and cultural symbol, signifying the natural way to alleviate suffering.
I’ve adopted these concepts, incorporated our understanding, and used a semi — abstract «light painting» approach. By combining on — site photography with painting, I’ve reconstructed the complete statues of the Longmen Grottoes, bridging the past and present, transcending time to retell the history of the Longmen Grottoes, and achieving a visual interpretation of its statues and history.
