A reality is just what we tell each other it is
現實不過是我們相互訴說而成​

A reality is just what we tell each other it is
現實不過是我們相互訴說而成​
2025
Site-specific projection of ink drawing

Installation view of ‘Muted Hums’. Photo: Felix SC Wong.

'Muted Hums' curated by Celia Ho
13.12.2025–22.02.2026
Group show at Para Site, Hong Kong

Artists:
Catalina Africa
Özlem Altın
Lêna Bùi
Oscar Chan Yik Long
Saodat Ismailova
Ling Pui Sze
Man Mei To
Christina Quarles
Aycoobo-Wilson Rodríguez
​
Visual design: Studio Hik
Spatial design: Joel Austin

《西遊記》是我最早接觸的神話故事之一。它以冒險敘事為主軸，融合中國古代神話與宗教人物，而唐三藏、孫悟空、豬八戒、沙僧與白龍馬，成為我記憶中最早出現的角色原型。
​孩童時閱讀的我，其實無法理解角色性格的複雜性。尤其是唐三藏，他的被動、不以力量對抗，以及近乎姑息養奸的寬恕，曾長時間令我感到困惑甚至不耐煩。直到近年重新回看這個故事，我才逐漸理解這樣的人物設定並非軟弱，而是一種結構性的安排，也讓我聯想到中國傳統五行之間彼此制衡、互補不足的關係。
在我的理解與想像中，唐三藏如同「土」，象徵慈悲、穩定與包容，但同時缺乏洞察力而顯得脆弱，對應黃色；孫悟空是「火」，代表自我意志、決斷與行動力，卻也因驕傲與衝動而失衡，對應紅色；豬八戒屬「木」，與生長、慾望與感官經驗相連，卻沉溺於享樂，對應綠色；沙僧為「水」，順行、忍耐、隨環境而變，卻容易盲從、欠缺創造力，對應藍色；白龍馬則象徵「金」，潛藏的靈性與內在力量，同時承受自我壓抑與恐懼的牽制，對應白色。
這樣的角色關係，使我開始將五行理解為一種生命結構：如同人體的器官，彼此依存、互相補足，卻也各自帶著缺陷。取西經於我而言，不再只是完成使命的過程，而是一段人生的隱喻——漫長、反覆、充滿阻礙，只能透過日復一日的堅持、覺察與實踐來推進。人生沒有捷徑，無法一步登天，也不存在一勞永逸的平衡；唯有在不斷調整與協調之中，迎接四周妖魔鬼怪的種種挑戰，踏實地向前。

最後，我以三足烏與月中蟾分別對應日與月，藉此表達時間的流逝與循環，周而復始。

Journey to the West was one of the earliest mythological stories I encountered. Structured as an adventure narrative, it weaves together figures from ancient Chinese mythology and religion. The five protagonists—Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse—became some of the first archetypal characters embedded in my memory.
As a child, I could not grasp the complexity of their personalities. In particular, I struggled with the character of Tang Sanzang: his passivity, his refusal to confront force with force, and his almost excessive compassion and forgiveness often left me frustrated and impatient. Only in recent years, through revisiting the story, did I begin to understand that this apparent weakness was not accidental, but a structural choice. This realization led me to see a strong parallel with the traditional Chinese concept of the Five Elements, in which different forces restrain and compensate for one another through imbalance.
In my interpretation, Tang Sanzang corresponds to Earth—representing compassion, stability, and containment, yet also lacking insight and thus vulnerable. He is associated with the color yellow. Sun Wukong embodies Fire, symbolizing selfhood, decisiveness, and action, but also marked by arrogance and impulsiveness; his color is red. Zhu Bajie aligns with Wood, connected to growth, desire, and sensory experience, yet weakened by indulgence and attachment to pleasure; he is represented by green. Sha Wujing reflects Water, characterized by compliance, endurance, and adaptation to circumstances, but also by blind obedience and a lack of creativity; his color is blue. The White Dragon Horse signifies Metal, suggesting latent spirituality and inner potential, while simultaneously burdened by self-restraint and fear; his color is white.

This constellation of characters led me to understand the Five Elements as a structure of life itself—like organs within the body, mutually dependent, compensatory, and inherently flawed. The journey to retrieve the scriptures is no longer, for me, a heroic mission with a clear endpoint, but a metaphor for life: long, repetitive, and filled with obstacles. It can only move forward through daily persistence, awareness, and practice. There are no shortcuts, no sudden ascents, and no permanent resolution—only a continuous process of adjustment and coordination, confronting the challenges posed by the demons and spirits that surround them，advancing step by step.

Finally, I use the three-legged crow and the moon toad to correspond to the sun and the moon, expressing the passage of time as a cyclical, ever-repeating process.