I entered in a call for works with that theme a few years back and I've been ruminating on that term ever since.
Does the Hero's Journey always involve stories about overcoming hardship with a triumphant return?
Invariably stories like the Star Wars or Hua Mulan comes to mind. What about Zhu Bajie, the character from Journey To The West, a character I borrowed to be my harbinger of abundance? Was his transformation a hero's journey?
What if the story entails the ultimate sacrifice of life, only to ascend into the heavens and return. So is the resurrection a triumph or just something to mock the mortals?
What if the story is about meditating under a Bohdi tree, finding enlightenment and then sharing it with those who seek it, is that not a Hero's journey?
What if the story is not a noble one in the commonly accepted context but is about grueling rituals and practises, as in dancers honing their techniques, musicians enduring all the etudes, and artists enduring tribulations in finding beauty. Do all the frayed ballet shoes, blistered bunions, spent reeds, detached bow hairs, mutilated paint brushes witness the journey; are the afore mentioned practitioners not heroes?
Must triumph be the only outcome to these journeys?
As I rummage through the works of my colleagues, as well as my own and reflect on the year, I come to realize that not all such journeys are triumphant. Many of our journeys end up as a litany of banal images, succumbing to the stereotypical perception of what Chinese painting is about. Thus the run of the mill swallows, bamboo leaves, gold fish and cherry blossoms; insipid works. Some of us have actually regressed. If our wardrobe consists of the same 2 pairs of pants, we would have a hard time creating a new look over time. It gets stale really fast. Perhaps we all have our own version of Triumphant Trumpet Fanfare. Perhaps I am tone deaf myself.
Thus I would like to express my own journey with the help of some dance movements. Aside from the requisite hard work, and the boring repetitions of the hand and feet ballet positions, one has to be a connoisseur of beauty, and a certain degree of narcissism is definitely helpful. Most of all, I find myself resonating in the visual and tactile presentation of dance. This is a journey of work, perseverance but not necessarily glory or triumph. In the end, the only redemption value is perhaps to the artist and no one else.
I painted from my dishes of left over color. What can be more symbolic than using up what's left as the old year churns to an end. A little re-hydration was all that was necessary.
I found the relationship of the torso with the limbs intriguing. The painting of the extended limbs exhilarating. I treated them as if I was doing calligraphy, composing the placement of the different parts of the written word character. With appropriate pauses and nudging of the brush I could depict the flared trousers and sleeves as carried by the inertia of the choreographed moves, adding to the appearance of motion.
The individual poses perhaps representing the different stages of a journey, with segues, momentary pauses, sometimes without directions. I am not necessarily depicting a horizontal time continuum, but rather a schematic of the possible stations in this journey. Some of us will find glory in this process, other won't.
One thing is for sure. Hero's Journey is nuanced. As I am trying to verbalize with my brush and make sense of my own interpretation, time is ticking away. I'm still trying to find my compass. Therefore I shall emerge from my abyss and post my current moment as a marker on this final day of the year.
Fare thee well, 2019.
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