Durian

Durian is a strange fruit with strong smell and harsh spines, but in fact it is soft inside. This fruit symbolizes my family members.In this project, I try to reconstruct the life of my deceased father, and to connect it with the present life of my mom and me by taking self portraits in my father's clothes and reconstructing archive photos from his time.

Born in 1950s when China was an ally with Soviet Union, my father went to countryside to work instead of attending school for the Cultural Revolution campaign. He was grown up nothing but a gourmet and womanizer who roamed in pleasure houses. When I was 14, he planned to have a robbery at the railway station with a fake gun, unfortunately his plan didn’t work for he fainted at the station. He was sent to hospital but no one came to visit him, so he passed away a week later.

My mom is always resentful when talking about him. She had several unsuccessful relationships, and she didn’t treat me well when I was young. I also have issues in my relationships due to the past trauma in my family.

In the project, I dress as my father and reconstruct archive pictures I collected, trying to stand in his shoes, reconnecting my family bonds and learning to forgive and love.